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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. season — in sport
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. object — an aim
  13. stock — goods
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. object — a thing
  24. key — in music

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