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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. press — newspapers
  3. field — for sport
  4. stock — goods
  5. mark — a grade
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. root — of a word
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. toast — bread
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mark — a trace
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. press — to push
  17. field — farmland
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. press — a publisher
  24. field — a subject

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