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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. saw — the tool
  4. field — a subject
  5. bass — the fish
  6. firm — steady
  7. bass — low music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. firm — decided
  10. field — farmland
  11. stock — goods
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. firm — a company
  16. stock — shares
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pit — in a race
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pit — a hole
  22. field — for sport
  23. scale — in music
  24. rest — a break

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