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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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468
Word bank
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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. kid — child
  4. key — for a lock
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. key — the most important part
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. stock — shares
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — in music
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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