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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. date — the fruit
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stock — shares
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. kid — to tease
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. stock — goods
  12. season — of the year
  13. dip — to sink
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. kid — child
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. season — in sport
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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