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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. craft — a skill
  3. lean — thin
  4. field — a subject
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. current — happening now
  8. court — for sport
  9. stock — shares
  10. present — the time now
  11. craft — boats
  12. court — of law
  13. stock — goods
  14. field — farmland
  15. content — happy
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. court — of a king
  20. lean — to bend
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. craft — a handicraft
  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