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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.

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: bat · file · ball · chip · bowl · straw · stock · ruler

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. ball — a great time
  3. file — a document
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. chip — to eat
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. file — a tool
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stock — goods
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bat — the animal
  17. stock — shares
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. file — a line of people

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