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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. kid — to tease
  7. face — to confront
  8. field — a subject
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. face — to point toward
  14. stock — goods
  15. face — part of the head
  16. field — for sport
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. field — farmland
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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