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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stock — goods
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. field — farmland
  17. game — a match
  18. track — a path
  19. game — wild animals
  20. field — a subject
  21. rush — hurry
  22. stock — shares
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. arm — a part of something

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