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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. stock — shares
  3. firm — decided
  4. present — there
  5. stock — goods
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rash — hasty
  9. firm — steady
  10. hand — help
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. row — a line
  14. firm — a company
  15. rush — hurry
  16. hand — in cards
  17. present — the time now
  18. ground — a position
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. present — a gift
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rash — a series

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