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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. object — to protest
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. object — a thing
  6. stock — goods
  7. field — farmland
  8. mate — a partner
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stock — shares
  13. object — an aim
  14. club — a group
  15. field — for sport
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. club — for dancing
  18. spring — of water
  19. field — a subject
  20. spring — the season
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. club — for golf

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