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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. staff — employees
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. hand — in cards
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. staff — employees
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. kick — in football
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. face — to point toward
  14. hand — help
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. field — a subject
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. face — to confront
  21. staff — a stick
  22. drill — army training
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. face — part of the head

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