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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.

Make a worksheet

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: ground · straw · bowl · face · cue · bay · stock · season

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. cue — a signal
  7. stock — goods
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. face — to confront
  12. ground — the earth
  13. face — to point toward
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. cue — for pool
  22. stock — shares
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. season — to add flavour

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