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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 120 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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bound — tied together
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stock — shares
  13. fall — the season
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. firm — steady
  16. stock — goods
  17. firm — decided
  18. bound — certain
  19. spring — a coil
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bound — obliged
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. firm — a company
  24. tube — a container

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