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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.

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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. court — of law
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. court — of a king
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pitch — completely
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. court — for sport

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