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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. squash — the sport
  3. game — wild animals
  4. dip — to sink
  5. stock — shares
  6. kick — in football
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wind — moving air
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. game — a match
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. stock — a soup base

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