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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stock — shares
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stock — goods
  8. spell — magic
  9. deal — to handle
  10. kid — child
  11. spell — letters
  12. scale — in music
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wax — to grow
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. chip — for betting
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. kid — to tease
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. wax — for sculpting

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