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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. file — a document
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cap — a lid
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. march — the month
  12. cap — a hat
  13. stock — shares
  14. file — a tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cap — of ice
  18. game — wild animals
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. stock — goods
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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