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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: race · court · stock · field · present · racket · straw · leaves

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. race — a contest
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. field — farmland
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. present — the time now
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. present — there
  11. court — of a king
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. stock — goods
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. court — for sport
  17. stock — shares
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. court — of law
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. present — a gift
  24. straw — a straw man

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