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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 120 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. field — a subject
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. field — for sport
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fine — high quality
  8. stock — goods
  9. season — in sport
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fine — all right
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. row — a line
  16. field — farmland
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. season — of the year
  20. stock — shares
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. shower — rain

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