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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stock — goods
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stock — shares
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. field — for sport
  10. mug — a face
  11. fine — high quality
  12. date — the fruit
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fine — all right
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. field — farmland
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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