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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. season — in sport
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stock — shares
  5. tube — a container
  6. file — a tool
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pop — music
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pop — soda
  12. file — a document
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stock — goods
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. season — of the year
  21. file — a line of people
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pop — to visit
  24. tube — the underground

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