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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cap — of ice
  4. stock — shares
  5. sharp — clever
  6. firm — steady
  7. stock — goods
  8. firm — a company
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. suit — to fit
  11. band — a music group
  12. suit — clothes
  13. field — a subject
  14. tear — from crying
  15. band — a ring
  16. cap — a hat
  17. tear — from crying
  18. firm — decided
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. field — farmland
  21. suit — in cards
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. cap — a lid

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