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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. date — the fruit
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. perch — the fish
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. drill — the tool
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. drill — a practice
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. drill — army training

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