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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. rash — hasty
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. file — a tool
  8. stock — shares
  9. file — a document
  10. band — a music group
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. band — a ring
  13. file — a line of people
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — goods
  19. kick — in football
  20. rash — a series
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. dip — to sink
  24. rash — on the skin

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