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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. object — an aim
  3. stock — shares
  4. object — to protest
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. field — farmland
  7. object — a thing
  8. stock — goods
  9. root — the cause
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. field — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rash — hasty
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rash — a series
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — of a word
  22. court — for sport
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. court — of law

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