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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. craft — a skill
  10. field — for sport
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. field — farmland
  13. swing — music
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. craft — boats
  16. pound — a weight
  17. stock — shares
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pitch — completely
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. field — a subject

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