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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · ball · stock · land · row · kid · bay · patient

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. land — ground
  6. stock — shares
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. ball — a dance
  12. land — to come down
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. row — a line
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. stock — goods
  18. row — to paddle
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. game — a match
  21. land — a country
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. ball — a great time

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