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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bat — the animal
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. row — to paddle
  6. degree — temperature
  7. key — in music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. deal — to handle
  12. row — a line
  13. stock — goods
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. key — the most important part
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. key — for a lock
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. degree — an amount
  24. row — a quarrel

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