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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. craft — a skill
  3. track — a path
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bass — low music
  6. present — there
  7. present — the time now
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. field — for sport
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stock — goods
  14. hand — in cards
  15. field — a subject
  16. track — a song
  17. stock — shares
  18. rock — a stone
  19. field — farmland
  20. track — to keep track
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. present — a gift
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. craft — boats

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