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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. fine — high quality
  4. spell — a short time
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. spell — letters
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. net — after costs
  9. vault — a safe
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. bass — low music
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. fine — all right
  16. spell — magic
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. net — for catching
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. tube — the underground
  24. fine — a penalty

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