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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. row — a line
  3. stock — goods
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. fine — high quality
  7. row — to paddle
  8. fine — all right
  9. season — of the year
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. clip — a video
  12. season — in sport
  13. clip — to cut
  14. field — farmland
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stock — shares
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. field — a subject
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. clip — for paper

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