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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. court — of law
  3. field — farmland
  4. charge — in control
  5. field — for sport
  6. firm — decided
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. charge — a price
  10. court — for sport
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. row — to paddle
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. kid — to tease
  15. firm — a company
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. firm — steady
  18. charge — electricity
  19. kid — child
  20. court — of a king
  21. field — a subject
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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