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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pound — a weight
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. ball — a great time
  7. shower — to wash
  8. band — a ring
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. band — a music group
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rash — a series
  22. rush — hurry
  23. deal — to handle
  24. stock — goods

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