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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. foot — a measure
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stock — shares
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — farmland
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. field — a subject
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cue — a hint
  13. spell — letters
  14. cue — a signal
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. stock — goods
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. content — the amount
  24. cue — for pool

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