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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. stock — goods
  6. firm — decided
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. craft — boats
  11. last — final
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — farmland
  14. bear — the animal
  15. firm — steady
  16. stock — shares
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. firm — a company
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. scale — size or range
  23. craft — a skill
  24. scale — in music

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