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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: fan · track · ball · racket · board · key · stock · cold

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. stock — shares
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stock — goods
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. key — in music
  9. board — a committee
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. track — a song
  16. board — to get on
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ball — a dance
  20. key — for a lock
  21. ball — a great time
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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