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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. squash — the sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. rule — government
  5. net — in sport
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. pound — a weight
  9. field — a subject
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. net — for catching
  15. rule — a law
  16. field — for sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. stock — goods
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. pit — in a race

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