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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stock — shares
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. drill — army training
  6. deal — to handle
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stock — goods
  11. tube — a container
  12. rash — a series
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. drill — a practice
  19. face — to confront
  20. tube — the underground
  21. drill — the tool
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rash — on the skin

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