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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. stock — shares
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. spring — the season
  5. ball — a dance
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cue — a hint
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cue — a signal
  10. game — a match
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. hand — in cards
  13. spring — a coil
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. deal — to handle
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. spring — of water
  18. cue — for pool
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. stock — goods
  23. hand — part of the body
  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