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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.

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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 · mine · game · calf · mate · stock · bat · ruler

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mine — for digging
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mate — a friend
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. ball — a dance
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. stock — goods
  22. game — a match
  23. stock — shares
  24. calf — a young animal

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