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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. file — a document
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. object — a thing
  5. ball — a great time
  6. file — a tool
  7. field — for sport
  8. stock — shares
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. field — farmland
  12. pop — to visit
  13. ball — a dance
  14. object — to protest
  15. bound — tied together
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pop — soda
  18. stock — goods
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. pop — music
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. field — a subject
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. file — a line of people

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