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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stock — shares
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. game — wild animals
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bulb — for light
  8. prune — to trim
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. craft — boats
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — a series
  18. stock — goods
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rash — hasty
  22. game — a match
  23. sharp — clever
  24. craft — a skill

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