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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. last — final
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. kid — child
  11. stock — shares
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pound — a weight
  14. rush — hurry
  15. last — to go on
  16. stock — goods
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. last — finally
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rash — a series

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