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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: jam · stock · rash · clip · mate · ground · deal · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rash — a series
  7. field — farmland
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ground — crushed
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. clip — for paper
  13. stock — shares
  14. ground — a position
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — to handle
  17. stock — goods
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. field — for sport
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. mate — a friend
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. rash — hasty

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