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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: race · rock · mark · stock · chair · craft · scale · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mark — a trace
  8. race — a contest
  9. stock — shares
  10. craft — a skill
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. race — humankind
  17. stock — goods
  18. mark — a grade
  19. scale — in music
  20. craft — boats
  21. field — farmland
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. race — the arms race

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