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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. rash — hasty
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stock — goods
  6. rash — a series
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. land — a country
  11. stock — shares
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bound — obliged
  15. land — to come down
  16. ground — a position
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ball — a dance
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. land — ground
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bound — certain

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