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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. season — of the year
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. field — farmland
  7. chair — a leader
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. season — in sport
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. land — ground
  17. rule — a law
  18. stock — shares
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rule — government
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chair — a professorship

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