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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 120 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 smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kid — to tease
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. prune — to trim
  11. kid — child
  12. stock — shares
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. stock — goods
  17. stand — to bear
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. season — of the year
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. season — in sport
  24. fan — a supporter

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