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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: key · stock · game · season · pitcher · bore · wind · field

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bore — to drill
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bore — to tire
  6. key — in music
  7. field — for sport
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wind — moving air
  13. key — the most important part
  14. season — in sport
  15. stock — goods
  16. season — of the year
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. game — a match
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. stock — shares
  24. season — to add flavour

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