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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 116 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stock — goods
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. prune — to trim
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rush — hurry
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. stock — shares
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. prune — to trim

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