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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 116 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: stock · face · hand · field · bowl · mug · coach · pitcher

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stock — shares
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hand — help
  8. field — a subject
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mug — a face
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. face — to confront
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. face — to point toward
  20. mug — a cup
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. field — for sport
  23. stock — goods
  24. field — farmland

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