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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stock — shares
  9. lie — to recline
  10. field — for sport
  11. stock — goods
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. game — wild animals
  15. kid — child
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. field — a subject
  18. game — a match
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kid — to tease
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. field — farmland
  24. lie — an untruth

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