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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stock — goods
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. deal — to handle
  5. last — final
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. stock — shares
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bass — the fish
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. pop — music
  14. last — to go on
  15. bass — low music
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mate — to breed
  18. field — for sport
  19. pop — soda
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mate — a friend
  24. last — finally

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