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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. stock — shares
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. key — in music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. row — a line
  11. plane — a tool
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wound — an injury
  14. key — the most important part
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. key — for a lock
  18. object — a thing
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. stock — goods
  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