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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stock — goods
  3. field — farmland
  4. rock — music
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rock — a stone
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stand — to bear
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rash — hasty
  14. craft — a skill
  15. stock — shares
  16. lie — to recline
  17. rash — a series
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. craft — boats
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. field — for sport

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