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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 120 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. track — to keep track
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stock — shares
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. track — a path
  10. field — a subject
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. track — a song
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. stock — goods
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. lash — an eyelash

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