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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. bound — certain
  6. field — a subject
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. field — farmland
  9. present — the time now
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bound — tied together
  14. present — there
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. stock — goods
  18. ground — the earth
  19. root — of a plant
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a face
  22. present — a gift
  23. stock — shares
  24. ground — a position

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