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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 116 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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. court — of law
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bat — the animal
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. court — for sport
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. court — of a king

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