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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. key — in music
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. field — farmland
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. content — happy
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stock — shares
  15. field — for sport
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. content — the amount
  20. stock — goods
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. field — a subject
  24. mate — a partner

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