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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stock — shares
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. game — a match
  11. bass — low music
  12. shower — rain
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. game — wild animals
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. stock — goods
  19. bank — for money
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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