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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. kid — child
  5. stock — shares
  6. field — farmland
  7. file — a document
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. file — a tool
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. vault — a safe
  19. kid — to tease
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. toast — bread
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. file — a line of people

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