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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: rush · ball · kick · court · field · drill · stock · season

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. season — of the year
  8. field — farmland
  9. stock — goods
  10. rush — hurry
  11. court — of law
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. drill — army training
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. season — in sport
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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