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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. deal — to handle
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. present — there
  5. content — happy
  6. stock — shares
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — for sport
  11. content — the amount
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. present — the time now
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. net — after costs
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. net — in sport
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. net — for catching
  20. stock — goods
  21. present — a gift
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. saw — the tool
  24. field — farmland

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