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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 116 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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. rash — on the skin
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rash — a series
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. land — to come down
  12. stock — shares
  13. kid — child
  14. kick — in football
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rash — hasty
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. kid — to tease

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