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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 · staff · bowl · hide · stock · foot · chest · spell

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. staff — employees
  3. stock — goods
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. spell — a short time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. spell — magic
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. staff — a stick
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. spell — letters
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. staff — employees
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. chest — of your body

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