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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. can — a tin
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. hand — help
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rule — a law
  10. row — a line
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. can — a tin
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rule — government
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. can — to be able to
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. row — a quarrel

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