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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. drill — the tool
  3. deal — to handle
  4. stock — goods
  5. drill — a practice
  6. field — for sport
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. spell — a short time
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. spell — letters
  11. net — in sport
  12. stock — shares
  13. net — for catching
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. drill — army training
  18. spell — magic
  19. net — after costs
  20. shower — rain
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. field — farmland
  23. stem — to come from
  24. field — a subject

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