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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. track — to keep track
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. march — the month
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. track — a path
  9. row — a line
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. stock — goods
  13. key — the most important part
  14. field — a subject
  15. key — for a lock
  16. march — the month
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. stock — shares
  19. track — a song
  20. row — to paddle
  21. deal — to handle
  22. march — music
  23. key — in music
  24. deal — a big deal

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