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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 116 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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stock — shares
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rush — hurry
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. track — a path
  16. stock — goods
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pop — soda
  22. track — a song
  23. pop — music
  24. ball — a great time

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