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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. spring — of water
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. court — for sport
  14. swing — in golf
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. shower — rain
  18. stock — shares
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. shower — to wash
  24. hide — animal skin

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