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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. stock — goods
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. net — for catching
  7. stock — shares
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pit — a hole
  10. net — after costs
  11. band — a music group
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. band — a ring
  15. field — for sport
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wake — a trail
  19. field — a subject
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. net — in sport
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pit — in a race
  24. lash — to lash out

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