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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stock — goods
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mark — a trace
  9. hand — help
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bat — the animal
  12. swing — music
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. ball — a great time
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. ball — a round shape
  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