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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 120 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stock — shares
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. game — a match
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bat — the animal
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stock — goods
  24. craft — boats

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