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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ball — a great time
  4. stock — goods
  5. track — a song
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. net — in sport
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. hand — help
  10. suit — clothes
  11. mine — for digging
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. track — to keep track
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. suit — in cards
  18. stock — shares
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. ball — a dance
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. hand — in cards

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