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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. ground — the earth
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. ground — a position
  11. track — a song
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mine — for digging
  15. ground — crushed
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stock — shares
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. vault — a safe
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stock — goods

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