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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. stock — shares
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. plane — a tool
  6. stock — goods
  7. chip — for betting
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. kid — to tease
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. kid — child
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fall — to drop
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. fall — the season
  19. chip — to eat
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. plane — in geometry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com