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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 120 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: pop · stock · fork · ground · ball · bear · cap · lie

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pop — music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pop — soda
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pop — to visit
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stock — goods
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. cap — a lid
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. ground — a position
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bear — the 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