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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. march — music
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. track — a path
  6. stock — goods
  7. tube — the underground
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. court — of a king
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tube — a container
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. march — the month
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. court — of law
  19. stock — shares
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. march — the month
  23. court — for sport
  24. track — a song

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