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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ground — a position
  3. shower — to wash
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stock — shares
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. field — a subject
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. mate — to breed
  12. charge — electricity
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. charge — a price
  15. stock — goods
  16. mate — a partner
  17. shower — rain
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. field — farmland
  20. mate — a friend
  21. ground — crushed
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. charge — in control
  24. stock — a soup base

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