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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. foot — a measure
  9. vault — a safe
  10. field — farmland
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. field — a subject
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. racket — a loud noise

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