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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: tear · hide · court · craft · ball · bat · stock · pass

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. craft — a skill
  9. court — for sport
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bat — the animal
  14. stock — goods
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. stock — shares
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. craft — boats
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pass — a permit

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