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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.

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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. stock — shares
  4. bore — to drill
  5. current — electric
  6. field — a subject
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. field — for sport
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — a thing
  12. craft — boats
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. current — of water
  16. mark — a grade
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. mark — a trace
  20. stock — goods
  21. land — a country
  22. current — happening now
  23. field — farmland
  24. land — to come down

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