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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 124 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. stock — shares
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bass — low music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. kick — in football
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mark — a trace
  19. field — farmland
  20. stock — goods
  21. stand — to bear
  22. field — for sport
  23. mark — a grade
  24. stand — on your feet

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