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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.

Make a worksheet

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: stock · kick · racket · pitcher · march · spring · degree · toast

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stock — shares
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. toast — bread
  8. march — the month
  9. spring — a coil
  10. degree — temperature
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. stock — goods
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. degree — from a university
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. march — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. march — the month
  24. degree — an amount

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