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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. spring — the season
  3. fine — high quality
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. track — a path
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. mug — a face
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. toast — bread
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fine — all right
  22. stock — shares
  23. track — a song
  24. bat — the animal

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