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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. object — to protest
  6. stock — goods
  7. season — of the year
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mate — to breed
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mine — for digging
  15. object — an aim
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stock — shares
  23. object — a thing
  24. season — in sport

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