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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. spell — letters
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. track — a song
  6. track — a path
  7. field — farmland
  8. spell — a short time
  9. field — a subject
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. field — for sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. ball — a dance
  15. spell — magic
  16. stock — shares
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. can — a tin
  22. track — to keep track
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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