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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 · stock · craft · swing · rock · toast · mine · rule

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rock — music
  4. rule — a law
  5. stock — shares
  6. craft — boats
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mine — for digging
  13. swing — to play on
  14. craft — a skill
  15. swing — music
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. stock — goods
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — bread
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rule — government

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