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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: bowl · can · tube · court · bat · stock · deal · nail

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stock — goods
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. can — a tin
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. can — to be able to
  16. court — of a king
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bat — the animal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stock — shares
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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