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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. chair — a leader
  4. field — for sport
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. hand — in cards
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. field — farmland
  17. stock — shares
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. field — a subject
  22. branch — a division
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. hand — help

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