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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · kid · scale · face · stock · racket · mug · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mug — to rob
  6. scale — in music
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. kid — child
  10. mug — a face
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. kid — to tease
  14. stock — shares
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. ground — a position
  17. scale — size or range
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mug — a cup
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. face — to confront
  22. stock — goods
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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