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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. mate — to breed
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mate — a friend
  6. track — a song
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stock — shares
  9. track — a path
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. field — for sport
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mate — a partner
  16. dip — to sink
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bat — the animal
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  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