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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. field — for sport
  4. fine — high quality
  5. stock — shares
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pass — a permit
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. scale — in music
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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