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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bound — tied together
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. degree — temperature
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stock — shares
  17. rest — a break
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rest — what's left
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bound — certain
  24. bowl — a dish

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