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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stock — goods
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. suit — to fit
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pop — music
  12. ground — a position
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. suit — clothes
  15. date — the fruit
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pop — to visit
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pop — soda
  24. game — a match

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