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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. swing — in golf
  3. track — to keep track
  4. drill — a practice
  5. court — of a king
  6. field — a subject
  7. land — to come down
  8. stock — shares
  9. drill — the tool
  10. court — of law
  11. can — to be able to
  12. swing — to play on
  13. field — for sport
  14. land — a country
  15. court — for sport
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. can — a tin
  19. swing — music
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — farmland
  24. land — ground

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