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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: mark · march · staff · rock · stock · bowl · net · field

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. net — in sport
  4. field — for sport
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. stock — shares
  9. march — the month
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stock — goods
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rock — music
  15. net — after costs
  16. march — the month
  17. net — for catching
  18. march — music
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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