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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. land — a country
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. staff — a stick
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. land — ground
  10. race — a contest
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. clip — for paper
  14. land — to come down
  15. staff — employees
  16. field — a subject
  17. race — the arms race
  18. clip — to cut
  19. race — humankind
  20. field — farmland
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. staff — employees
  24. clip — a video

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