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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. field — a subject
  4. last — final
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stock — goods
  8. lean — to bend
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tube — a container
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. ball — a dance
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lean — thin
  18. stock — shares
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. last — to go on
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ball — a great time

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