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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. stock — goods
  6. tear — from crying
  7. field — farmland
  8. net — for catching
  9. tear — to rip
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. net — after costs
  15. stock — shares
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. net — in sport
  18. land — ground
  19. foot — a measure
  20. ball — a dance
  21. field — a subject
  22. vault — a safe
  23. ball — a great time
  24. field — for sport

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