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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 120 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lie — to recline
  5. root — the cause
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. root — of a plant
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. land — to come down
  10. root — of a word
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. land — ground
  15. sharp — clever
  16. land — a country
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — goods
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. field — a subject
  22. stock — shares
  23. stand — to bear
  24. field — for sport

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