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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. ball — a great time
  4. scale — in music
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. hand — in cards
  8. ball — a dance
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hand — help
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. foot — a measure
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. scale — size or range
  24. stock — shares

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