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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — to visit
  5. file — a tool
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bank — for money
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stock — goods
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ball — a dance
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bank — for money
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stock — shares
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. mate — to breed
  22. pop — music
  23. mate — a partner
  24. ball — a round shape

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