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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. spell — a short time
  3. fall — the season
  4. stock — goods
  5. rest — what's left
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rest — a break
  8. fall — to drop
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. degree — from a university
  11. ball — a great time
  12. kid — to tease
  13. spell — magic
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. ball — a dance
  19. kid — child
  20. spell — letters
  21. stock — shares
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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