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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. stock — goods
  4. club — for dancing
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. field — for sport
  7. bat — the animal
  8. field — farmland
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. field — a subject
  12. stock — shares
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wound — an injury

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