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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: stock · bowl · mouse · rock · lie · bat · coach · game

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lie — to recline
  5. rock — music
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stock — goods
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stock — shares
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. coach — a trainer

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