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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. track — a path
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. hand — help
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. track — a song
  12. mark — a trace
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stock — shares
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. stock — goods
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mark — a grade
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bore — to tire
  24. degree — an amount

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