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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kid — to tease
  6. net — for catching
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. toast — bread
  9. march — the month
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. march — music
  13. net — after costs
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. kid — child
  17. march — the month
  18. stock — goods
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. foot — a measure
  21. net — in sport
  22. spring — the season
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. stock — shares

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