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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stock — goods
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spring — of water
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. field — farmland
  9. pop — soda
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. stock — shares
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rash — a series
  18. pop — music
  19. field — for sport
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pit — a hole
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. field — a subject
  24. rash — hasty

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