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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stock — shares
  3. chest — a box
  4. object — an aim
  5. chest — of your body
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. game — wild animals
  14. capital — a city
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stock — goods
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. capital — money
  21. game — a match
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mouse — for a computer

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