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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. charge — a price
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. present — there
  8. object — an aim
  9. present — the time now
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bass — low music
  12. object — to protest
  13. field — for sport
  14. stock — goods
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. object — a thing
  17. stock — shares
  18. field — farmland
  19. charge — in control
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. craft — a skill
  23. present — a gift
  24. field — a subject

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