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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. track — a song
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. key — the most important part
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. club — a group
  7. bound — obliged
  8. club — for golf
  9. bound — certain
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rash — hasty
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. track — a path
  14. rash — a series
  15. key — for a lock
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. field — a subject
  20. key — in music
  21. stock — shares
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. field — for sport
  24. stock — goods

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