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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: game · stock · craft · field · season · saw · rest · pitcher

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. game — a match
  3. field — a subject
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stock — shares
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. craft — a skill
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rest — what's left
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. season — of the year
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. saw — the tool
  24. field — farmland

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