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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. ground — the earth
  4. field — a subject
  5. ground — a position
  6. season — in sport
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. field — farmland
  9. ground — crushed
  10. season — of the year
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. roll — a cake
  13. rash — a series
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stock — goods
  19. field — for sport
  20. roll — a list
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fork — in a road
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stock — shares

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