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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: chip · fork · field · track · stock · craft · ball · spell

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. track — to keep track
  3. field — for sport
  4. fork — in a road
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. spell — a short time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. craft — boats
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. stock — goods
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. spell — letters
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. craft — a skill
  21. chip — to eat
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. spell — magic
  24. craft — a handicraft

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