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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. mug — a face
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. kid — to tease
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wake — a trail
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stock — goods
  16. kid — child
  17. swing — music
  18. shower — rain
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. row — a line
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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