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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: mark · bowl · bass · stock · perch · track · sharp · chip

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. stock — goods
  5. perch — the fish
  6. track — to keep track
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stock — shares
  16. chip — for betting
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mark — a grade
  20. track — a song
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. track — a path
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. sharp — clever

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