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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bore — to tire
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. track — to keep track
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mark — a grade
  16. track — a song
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bore — to drill
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stock — shares
  21. game — a match
  22. saw — the tool
  23. track — a path
  24. bore — gave birth

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