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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stock — shares
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mate — a partner
  13. can — a tin
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cold — not warm
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cold — an illness
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. stock — goods
  24. can — a tin

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