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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stock — goods
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. object — an aim
  6. season — in sport
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ground — crushed
  9. track — a song
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. track — a path
  15. game — a match
  16. ground — the earth
  17. season — of the year
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. track — to keep track
  22. game — wild animals
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — a thing

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