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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. row — to paddle
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. shower — rain
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stock — shares
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. row — a line
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pound — a weight

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