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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stock — shares
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stock — goods
  6. bat — the animal
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. object — a thing
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bulb — for light
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. object — to protest
  17. net — after costs
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. object — an aim
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. swing — in golf
  24. hand — help

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