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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. stock — goods
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bat — the animal
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. chair — a leader
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stock — shares
  22. scale — in music
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. saw — the tool

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