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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. last — to go on
  3. ground — the earth
  4. field — a subject
  5. stock — goods
  6. last — finally
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. ground — a position
  11. stock — shares
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. last — final
  15. mate — to breed
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bowl — a dish

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