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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. track — a song
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. ground — a position
  12. track — a path
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pit — in a race
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stock — shares
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wound — an injury
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stock — goods

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