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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ball — a great time
  6. race — a contest
  7. bank — for money
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bank — for money
  11. game — a match
  12. craft — boats
  13. stock — shares
  14. game — wild animals
  15. craft — a skill
  16. race — humankind
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. race — the arms race
  21. tube — a container
  22. bank — of a river
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. game — a kind of play

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