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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. land — a country
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. land — ground
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stock — goods
  7. spring — a coil
  8. track — to keep track
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stock — shares
  11. spring — of water
  12. suit — in cards
  13. field — for sport
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. land — to come down
  16. field — farmland
  17. spring — the season
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. suit — clothes
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. suit — to fit
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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