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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. spell — letters
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. stock — shares
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. kid — child
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. board — a committee
  16. spell — magic
  17. board — to get on
  18. cap — a lid
  19. kid — to tease
  20. cap — a hat
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. deal — to handle
  24. board — a flat piece

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