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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 124 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 do anything ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stock — shares
  4. hand — help
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rash — a series
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stock — goods
  10. swing — music
  11. club — a group
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lie — to recline
  14. tube — a container
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. swing — to play on
  20. club — for golf
  21. tube — the underground
  22. swing — in golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rash — on the skin

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