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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. stock — goods
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mark — a grade
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mark — a trace
  10. court — of law
  11. root — of a word
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. root — the cause
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ground — a position
  17. field — for sport
  18. root — of a plant
  19. field — farmland
  20. court — of a king
  21. stock — shares
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bowl — a dish

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