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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. court — for sport
  3. firm — decided
  4. field — a subject
  5. stock — goods
  6. pop — music
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. drill — the tool
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pop — to visit
  13. stock — shares
  14. court — of a king
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pop — soda
  17. firm — steady
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. drill — a practice
  21. court — of law
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. firm — a company
  24. cabinet — ministers

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