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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 124 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. stock — shares
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stock — goods
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rock — music
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rock — a stone
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bulb — for light
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bowl — a football final

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