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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. court — of a king
  3. firm — steady
  4. kick — in football
  5. bass — low music
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. stock — shares
  8. band — a ring
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. firm — decided
  13. court — of law
  14. tube — a container
  15. stock — goods
  16. field — farmland
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. field — for sport
  20. band — a music group
  21. court — for sport
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. firm — a company

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