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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stock — shares
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spell — letters
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. kid — child
  16. spell — magic
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. stock — goods
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mouse — for a computer

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