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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. scale — in music
  5. staff — employees
  6. court — of law
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. club — for golf
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. field — for sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. club — a group
  17. court — of a king
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. field — farmland
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. club — for dancing
  22. court — for sport
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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