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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. vault — a safe
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. field — a subject
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. field — farmland
  7. stock — shares
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. rash — a series
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. dip — to sink
  13. court — of law
  14. stand — to bear
  15. court — for sport
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rash — hasty
  18. court — of a king
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. row — a line
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. stock — goods

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