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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stock — goods
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stock — shares
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. field — farmland
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. field — for sport
  21. key — the most important part
  22. field — a subject
  23. key — in music
  24. stand — to bear

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