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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 120 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. hand — help
  3. field — a subject
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stock — shares
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. saw — the tool
  9. field — farmland
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bulb — for light
  16. hand — in cards
  17. field — for sport
  18. object — an aim
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rock — music
  22. stock — goods
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. saw — the tool

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