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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. field — for sport
  3. pitch — completely
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. season — in sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. current — happening now
  12. track — a path
  13. current — of water
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bass — low music
  16. bound — tied together
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. field — farmland
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. current — electric
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stock — goods
  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