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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. lean — to bend
  6. stock — shares
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stock — goods
  10. band — a music group
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spring — the season
  15. band — a ring
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pit — a hole
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lean — thin
  21. present — a gift
  22. spring — of water
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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