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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. hand — in cards
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spell — magic
  13. rock — a stone
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — goods
  19. rock — music
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bat — the animal
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stock — shares

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