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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. key — the most important part
  9. pass — a permit
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. field — farmland
  12. stock — goods
  13. row — a line
  14. stock — shares
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. key — in music
  17. field — for sport
  18. row — to paddle
  19. craft — boats
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. snap — to click
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bear — to put up with

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