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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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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: snap · pound · racket · craft · game · face · field · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. face — to point toward
  3. field — for sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pound — a weight
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. craft — boats
  11. game — a match
  12. face — part of the head
  13. snap — to click
  14. craft — a skill
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stock — shares
  17. field — a subject
  18. game — wild animals
  19. face — to confront
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. field — farmland

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