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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 124 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bound — certain
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stock — shares
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bound — tied together
  9. can — to be able to
  10. press — newspapers
  11. club — for golf
  12. hand — help
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. field — a subject
  15. club — a group
  16. stock — goods
  17. press — to push
  18. field — farmland
  19. can — a tin
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. can — a tin
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bound — obliged
  24. prune — to trim

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