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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. drill — the tool
  5. rest — what's left
  6. craft — boats
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spring — a coil
  9. drill — army training
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rash — hasty
  13. spring — of water
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rest — a break
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. spring — the season
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rash — a series
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. drill — a practice
  23. craft — a skill
  24. arm — part of the body

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