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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. firm — a company
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. field — for sport
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. firm — decided
  9. race — the arms race
  10. fork — in a road
  11. field — a subject
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. firm — steady
  17. bound — obliged
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. stock — goods
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. field — farmland
  22. race — humankind
  23. pound — a weight
  24. race — a contest

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