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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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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: ball · foot · dip · stock · club · kid · wake · racket

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. club — for golf
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stock — shares
  8. kid — to tease
  9. club — for dancing
  10. dip — to sink
  11. club — a group
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ball — a great time
  14. kid — child
  15. stock — goods
  16. wake — a trail
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. ball — a dance
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. foot — a measure
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. foot — the bottom

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