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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. firm — a company
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. kid — child
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. rush — hurry
  12. firm — steady
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. firm — decided
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. season — of the year
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stock — shares

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