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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 116 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. rest — what's left
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pitch — completely
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. stock — shares
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rest — what's left
  20. craft — a skill
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stock — goods
  23. craft — boats
  24. bowl — a dish

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