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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.

Words on the sheet
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 · net · kid · board · spring · stock · racket · stick

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — in sport
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. kid — child
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. spring — of water
  9. board — to get on
  10. kid — to tease
  11. spring — the season
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stock — goods
  19. ball — a great time
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. board — a committee
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stock — shares

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