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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. chest — a box
  4. stock — goods
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. stock — shares
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wax — to grow
  12. net — after costs
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. net — for catching
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. net — in sport
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. chair — a leader

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