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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mate — a friend
  5. stock — shares
  6. rush — hurry
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mate — a partner
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cue — a hint

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