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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. pop — music
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pop — soda
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stand — to bear
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bound — certain
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pop — to visit
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mark — a trace

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