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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: coach · ball · ground · stock · bowl · face · cap · pit

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pit — a hole
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. stock — shares
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. face — part of the head
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cap — a hat
  24. coach — a trainer

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