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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 116 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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. rest — a break
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. track — a song
  6. field — a subject
  7. game — wild animals
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rock — a stone
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. rock — music
  13. present — there
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — for sport
  16. rest — what's left
  17. track — to keep track
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rest — what's left
  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