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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
468
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: field · key · patient · rock · snap · ground · bay · stock

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. field — farmland
  9. rock — music
  10. snap — to click
  11. ground — the earth
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rock — a stone
  19. ground — crushed
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stock — shares
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. key — in music
  24. ground — a position

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