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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pop — soda
  3. net — for catching
  4. wake — a trail
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to sink
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rock — music
  16. stock — goods
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rock — a stone
  21. stock — shares
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. pop — music

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