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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. stock — goods
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. stock — shares
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. tube — a container
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. tube — the underground
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. drill — a practice
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. drill — army training
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. drill — the tool
  23. ball — a great time
  24. arm — part of the body

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