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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: stock · bowl · deal · bat · ground · cap · perch · coach

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stock — shares
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. stock — goods
  17. perch — the fish
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. ground — the earth
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bat — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bat — in an idiom

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