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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. drill — army training
  4. stock — goods
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. court — of a king
  8. bat — the animal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. court — for sport
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. key — for a lock
  16. field — a subject
  17. key — in music
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. key — the most important part
  21. stock — shares
  22. field — farmland
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. scale — in music

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