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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. field — for sport
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stock — goods
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. hand — help
  19. field — a subject
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. stock — shares
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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