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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. court — for sport
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. field — farmland
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. stock — goods
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. track — a path
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. foot — a measure
  16. track — a song
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. track — to keep track
  21. court — of law
  22. dip — to sink
  23. court — of a king
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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