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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bank — for money
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stock — shares
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stock — goods
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. court — of law
  16. bank — for money
  17. court — of a king
  18. rest — a break

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