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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. ground — the earth
  3. race — the arms race
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mate — to breed
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. content — the amount
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. ground — a position
  11. stock — goods
  12. mate — a friend
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. stock — shares
  16. field — for sport
  17. mate — a partner
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. race — humankind
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. ground — crushed
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. race — a contest
  24. plane — a tool

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