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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stock — goods
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. key — for a lock
  5. ball — a great time
  6. key — in music
  7. field — for sport
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. field — farmland
  10. clip — to cut
  11. stock — shares
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. clip — for paper
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. clip — a video
  18. pass — a permit
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. key — the most important part
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. hide — to keep secret

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