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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hand — in cards
  3. object — to protest
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. stock — shares
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. object — a thing
  12. club — for golf
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. club — a group
  16. roll — a cake
  17. object — an aim
  18. club — for dancing
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. last — to go on
  21. roll — a list
  22. stock — goods
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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