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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. hand — in cards
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. firm — steady
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bound — certain
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. firm — a company
  12. bound — obliged
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. ball — a dance
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. bound — tied together
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stock — goods
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. firm — decided
  24. kid — child

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