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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. fall — to drop
  3. charge — in control
  4. field — for sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. charge — a price
  7. stock — goods
  8. board — a committee
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. fall — the season
  11. track — a song
  12. net — in sport
  13. track — a path
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. charge — electricity
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. stock — shares
  18. fall — to drop
  19. vault — a safe
  20. field — a subject
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. track — to keep track
  24. net — for catching

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