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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. march — music
  7. stock — shares
  8. march — the month
  9. chip — for betting
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. key — for a lock
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. stock — goods
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. kid — to tease
  20. key — in music
  21. march — the month
  22. shower — rain
  23. key — the most important part
  24. shower — to wash

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