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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — farmland
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rock — music
  14. rest — a break
  15. stock — goods
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rest — what's left
  20. tube — a container
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tube — in a tire

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