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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. band — a ring
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mark — a trace
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. stock — goods
  11. fine — high quality
  12. band — a music group
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. fine — all right
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. hand — help
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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