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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. race — humankind
  7. stock — shares
  8. court — of law
  9. rest — a break
  10. cap — of ice
  11. field — a subject
  12. rest — what's left
  13. field — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. race — the arms race
  16. court — for sport
  17. race — a contest
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. stock — goods
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bowl — a dish

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