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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 116 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. track — a song
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. track — a path
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — the time now
  8. field — a subject
  9. net — for catching
  10. field — farmland
  11. net — in sport
  12. stock — shares
  13. present — there
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. stock — goods
  16. track — to keep track
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bat — the animal
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. field — for sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lash — an eyelash

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