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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. saw — the tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rash — a series
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. tube — a container
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — the underground

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