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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. hand — help
  5. bank — of a river
  6. suit — clothes
  7. rash — a series
  8. suit — to fit
  9. ground — a position
  10. spring — of water
  11. suit — in cards
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. spring — a coil
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stock — goods
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bank — for money
  23. spring — the season
  24. bank — for money

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