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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. stock — shares
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. kick — in football
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stock — goods
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. lean — to bend
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. present — a gift
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. present — the time now
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. present — there
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. jam — in traffic

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