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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stock — goods
  4. prune — to trim
  5. land — to come down
  6. prune — to trim
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. land — ground
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. stock — shares
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. scale — size or range
  19. land — a country
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. scale — in music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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