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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 116 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stock — shares
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pit — in a race
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stock — goods
  13. track — a path
  14. ball — a great time
  15. track — a song
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. field — farmland
  18. ground — a position
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pit — a hole
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. ball — a dance
  24. game — a match

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