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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stock — goods
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stock — shares
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mark — a grade
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rush — hurry
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. dip — to sink

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