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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. field — a subject
  3. stock — shares
  4. key — for a lock
  5. file — a document
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. file — a tool
  9. field — for sport
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. object — an aim
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. object — a thing
  16. field — farmland
  17. file — a line of people
  18. court — of a king
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. object — to protest
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stock — goods
  24. key — the most important part

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