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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. firm — decided
  5. field — farmland
  6. pitch — completely
  7. tube — the underground
  8. drill — army training
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. drill — the tool
  11. firm — steady
  12. stock — shares
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. tube — a container
  18. drill — a practice
  19. stock — goods
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. field — for sport
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. firm — a company

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