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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. field — for sport
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lean — to bend
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. field — farmland
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. foot — a measure
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stock — goods
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ball — a great time
  21. lean — thin
  22. bat — the animal
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stock — shares

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