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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. field — a subject
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ground — a position
  6. field — farmland
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stock — shares
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. stock — goods
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. field — for 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