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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. band — a music group
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. swing — to play on
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. band — a ring
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. swing — music
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. stock — shares
  21. swing — in golf
  22. pitch — completely
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bowl — a football final

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