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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 · land · mark · cabinet · lie · roll · track

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. stock — goods
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — a list
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. track — a song
  16. stock — shares
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mark — a grade
  21. land — to come down
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. lie — to recline

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