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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. land — to come down
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. rock — a stone
  8. land — a country
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. field — a subject
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. land — ground
  18. lie — to recline
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stock — shares
  22. field — for sport
  23. stock — goods
  24. field — farmland

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