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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stock — shares
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. stock — goods
  9. hand — help
  10. pop — music
  11. hand — in cards
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pop — to visit
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. suit — to fit
  22. mark — a trace
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. band — a rubber band

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