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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · suit · stock · nail · rush · spell · sharp · kid

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ball — a great time
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. suit — to fit
  9. suit — clothes
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. stock — goods
  20. suit — in cards
  21. sharp — clever
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. kid — child

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