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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. ball — a great time
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rock — music
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pound — a weight
  20. rash — a series
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a dance

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