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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: ball · mouse · stock · bowl · capital · safe · hide · spell

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stock — shares
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. ball — a great time
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. capital — a city
  22. spell — a short time
  23. capital — money
  24. stock — goods

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