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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ball — a dance
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bound — tied together
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. deal — to handle
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stock — goods
  15. toast — bread
  16. shower — rain
  17. hand — in cards
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bound — certain
  20. hand — help
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bound — obliged

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