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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. fork — a garden tool
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fork — in a road
  8. stock — goods
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wound — an injury
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. wound — an injury
  23. sharp — exactly
  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