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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. kid — to tease
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. game — a match
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. game — wild animals
  15. tube — a container
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. net — in sport
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. plane — a tool
  20. stock — shares
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. tube — the underground
  23. stock — goods
  24. kid — child

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