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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. last — final
  3. field — for sport
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. saw — the tool
  6. game — a match
  7. saw — the tool
  8. last — to go on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. field — farmland
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stock — shares
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. last — finally
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. field — a subject
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stock — goods
  23. game — wild animals
  24. nail — for a hammer

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