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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 124 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. field — a subject
  3. stock — goods
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. object — a thing
  6. saw — the tool
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. object — to protest
  9. field — farmland
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. present — there
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. present — a gift
  18. pass — a permit
  19. field — for sport
  20. present — the time now
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. object — an aim
  24. stock — shares

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