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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: bay · mouse · stock · field · pit · bowl · race · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. race — humankind
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stock — goods
  6. spring — the season
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. race — the arms race
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. race — a contest
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. stock — shares
  23. pit — in a race
  24. spring — of water

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