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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. mug — a cup
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. mug — to rob
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. mug — a face
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. land — to come down
  12. roll — a list
  13. stock — shares
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. stock — goods
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. field — farmland
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chest — of your body
  20. land — ground
  21. field — a subject
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. land — a country
  24. field — for sport

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