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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. firm — a company
  4. field — for sport
  5. suit — clothes
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. firm — decided
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lie — to recline
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. suit — to fit
  13. stock — goods
  14. suit — in cards
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. ground — a position
  17. rash — a series
  18. ground — the earth
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. field — farmland
  21. stock — shares
  22. field — a subject
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ground — crushed

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