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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pop — music
  5. staff — employees
  6. field — farmland
  7. court — of law
  8. game — a match
  9. court — for sport
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pop — soda
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. field — a subject
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stock — shares
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. stock — goods
  23. staff — employees
  24. court — of a king

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