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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: mate · cap · racket · spring · stock · face · row · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. spring — the season
  3. face — part of the head
  4. mate — to breed
  5. face — to point toward
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cap — of ice
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stock — goods
  12. mate — a partner
  13. row — a line
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. face — to confront
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stock — shares
  22. row — to paddle
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cap — a hat

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