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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. can — to be able to
  6. stock — shares
  7. field — farmland
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stock — goods
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. field — a subject
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. can — a tin
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. mark — a trace
  20. can — a tin
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. leaves — lets stay

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