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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: bulb · racket · mark · ground · stock · hand · mate · dip

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. ground — a position
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. mate — a partner
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hand — in cards
  8. ground — crushed
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. dip — to sink
  11. ground — the earth
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. stock — goods
  15. hand — help
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stock — shares
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mate — a friend

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