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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stock — shares
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. game — wild animals
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. capital — money
  16. stock — goods
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wound — an injury
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. capital — a city
  22. game — a match
  23. wound — an injury
  24. capital — a big letter

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