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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.

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: can · field · stock · cap · racket · toast · march · kid

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. kid — child
  3. cap — a hat
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. field — a subject
  9. stock — shares
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. cap — of ice
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. can — to be able to
  18. stock — goods
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. cap — a lid
  21. toast — bread
  22. kid — to tease
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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