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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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 — a football final
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. spell — magic
  5. file — a tool
  6. race — the arms race
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stock — shares
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. race — a contest
  11. file — a line of people
  12. spell — a short time
  13. file — a document
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. spell — letters
  17. bass — low music
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — a position
  20. stand — to bear
  21. race — humankind
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bass — the fish
  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