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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stock — shares
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. degree — temperature
  7. field — farmland
  8. track — a song
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. stock — goods
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. field — for sport
  19. spell — letters
  20. field — a subject
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. degree — from a university
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. track — a path

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