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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. land — to come down
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. toast — bread
  8. field — for sport
  9. land — a country
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ball — a great time
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. mark — a trace
  15. prune — to trim
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. field — a subject
  18. land — ground
  19. stock — goods
  20. ball — a dance
  21. field — farmland
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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