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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. field — for sport
  6. last — to go on
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bat — the animal
  18. last — final
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stock — goods
  23. last — finally
  24. suit — clothes

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