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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. cell — in biology
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. field — farmland
  6. cell — a phone
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. deal — to handle
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stock — shares
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. stock — goods
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — to drill
  19. field — for sport
  20. track — to keep track
  21. field — a subject
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. club — for dancing

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