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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stock — goods
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. stock — shares
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. chest — a box
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. ball — a dance
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. field — farmland
  20. ball — a great time
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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