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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. field — a subject
  3. track — a path
  4. cap — of ice
  5. field — for sport
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cap — a lid
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bank — for money
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bank — for money
  19. track — a song
  20. field — farmland
  21. bank — of a river
  22. stock — goods
  23. track — to keep track
  24. stock — shares

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