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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. clip — to cut
  3. club — for golf
  4. suit — in cards
  5. mate — a partner
  6. stock — shares
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rock — music
  13. mate — to breed
  14. stock — goods
  15. clip — a video
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitch — completely
  18. suit — to fit
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. suit — clothes
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. clip — for paper
  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