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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: bay · stock · ball · land · mate · rash · chip · spring

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. land — ground
  3. chip — to eat
  4. stock — shares
  5. mate — to breed
  6. land — a country
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. spring — the season
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. stock — goods
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. ball — a great time
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rash — a series
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rash — hasty
  20. land — to come down
  21. mate — a partner
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. spring — 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