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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stock — goods
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. rash — a series
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. present — there
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. present — a gift
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rash — hasty
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stock — shares
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. present — the time now
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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