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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 120 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.

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: mark · stock · hand · cold · racket · arm · track · bowl

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. track — a song
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hand — in cards
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hand — help
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stock — shares
  14. mark — a trace
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. track — to keep track
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stock — goods
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. track — a path
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bowl — a dish

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