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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. field — farmland
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. file — a document
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. file — a line of people
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. stock — shares
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stock — goods
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. face — to confront
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. field — for sport
  18. file — a tool
  19. content — the amount
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. content — happy
  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