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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. field — a subject
  5. can — a tin
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wake — a trail
  8. fine — all right
  9. field — farmland
  10. track — a path
  11. stock — goods
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stock — shares
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  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