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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. stock — shares
  8. season — in sport
  9. field — for sport
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. season — of the year
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. ball — a dance
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. field — farmland
  21. stock — goods
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. field — a subject
  24. vault — a safe

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