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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
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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: bass · stock · ball · squash · row · field · bat · toast

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. stock — goods
  3. row — a line
  4. field — farmland
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bat — the animal
  7. toast — bread
  8. ball — a dance
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. field — for sport
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. row — to paddle
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. squash — to crush
  19. stock — shares
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. ball — a great time
  23. field — a subject
  24. squash — the sport

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