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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rash — hasty
  3. key — for a lock
  4. field — for sport
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. sharp — clever
  12. field — farmland
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rash — a series
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. fine — all right
  23. stock — goods
  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