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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 116 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pitch — completely
  3. ground — a position
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stand — to bear
  6. field — for sport
  7. stock — goods
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ground — crushed
  11. board — to get on
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. field — farmland
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ground — the earth
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. rest — a break
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. field — a subject
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pitch — a sports field

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