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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. stock — goods
  6. rest — a break
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. season — of the year
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. cap — of ice
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mate — a friend
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. field — farmland
  19. rest — what's left
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. cap — a lid
  22. season — in sport
  23. mate — a partner
  24. patient — a sick person

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