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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. fine — all right
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. stock — shares
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. stock — goods
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. hand — in cards
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. fine — high quality
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. hand — help
  24. game — a match

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