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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.

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: bowl · cue · ball · row · chest · game · stock · bear

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — for pool
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. stock — shares
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cue — a signal
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stock — goods
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bear — the animal
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chest — a box
  18. row — a line
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. row — to paddle
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. ball — a dance

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