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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. race — a contest
  4. field — a subject
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. field — for sport
  7. hand — help
  8. track — to keep track
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. stock — shares
  14. track — a song
  15. bank — for money
  16. stock — goods
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. track — a path
  20. race — humankind
  21. field — farmland
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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