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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. ground — the earth
  3. field — a subject
  4. object — an aim
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. field — farmland
  9. ground — crushed
  10. object — a thing
  11. capital — a city
  12. stock — shares
  13. cue — for pool
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. ground — a position
  18. stock — goods
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. cue — a hint
  21. field — for sport
  22. object — to protest
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pit — in a race

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