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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. spell — magic
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kid — child
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. object — a thing
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. object — to protest
  17. ball — a dance
  18. stock — goods
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stock — shares
  22. kid — to tease
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. hide — animal skin

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