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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. can — a tin
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. field — farmland
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stock — goods
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. stock — shares
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. field — a subject
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bat — the animal
  19. field — for sport
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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