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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. field — for sport
  3. key — for a lock
  4. stock — shares
  5. field — farmland
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wound — an injury
  10. key — in music
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. last — finally
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. field — a subject
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rush — hurry

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