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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. stock — goods
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bound — certain
  6. roll — a list
  7. saw — the tool
  8. field — farmland
  9. bound — obliged
  10. staff — employees
  11. roll — a cake
  12. cap — a hat
  13. field — for sport
  14. fine — all right
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bound — tied together
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stock — shares
  19. field — a subject
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. staff — a stick
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. fine — high quality
  24. cap — of ice

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