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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. object — a thing
  2. season — in sport
  3. can — a tin
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stock — goods
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. sharp — clever
  9. field — farmland
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. object — to protest
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. squash — the sport
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. can — to be able to
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. object — an aim
  21. can — a tin
  22. field — a subject
  23. season — of the year
  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