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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: hand · mouse · season · pitcher · chip · racket · stock · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. season — of the year
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. hand — help
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stock — goods
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — shares
  14. season — in sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chip — to eat
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. chip — for betting

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