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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. craft — a skill
  4. spell — a short time
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. land — a country
  7. field — for sport
  8. stock — goods
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. ground — the earth
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. land — ground
  14. spell — magic
  15. ground — crushed
  16. field — a subject
  17. ground — a position
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. spell — letters
  20. field — farmland
  21. stock — shares
  22. toast — bread
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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