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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: rash · roll · track · face · bowl · stock · ground · court

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. track — a song
  3. face — part of the head
  4. court — for sport
  5. ground — the earth
  6. roll — a cake
  7. ground — crushed
  8. track — to keep track
  9. court — of law
  10. face — to confront
  11. roll — a list
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. track — a path
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rash — a series
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. ground — a position
  21. court — of a king
  22. rash — hasty
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. stock — goods

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