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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · bay · arm · stock · current · bowl · ball · staff

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. season — of the year
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stock — goods
  6. current — electric
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. staff — employees
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. current — happening now
  18. staff — employees
  19. season — in sport
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stock — shares
  22. ball — a dance
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. current — of water

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