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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: mug · field · stock · land · hand · fine · bat · leaves

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. land — ground
  5. mug — a face
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. field — for sport
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. field — a subject
  13. bat — the animal
  14. stock — shares
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. land — to come down
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. stock — goods
  21. fine — all right
  22. mug — a cup
  23. land — a country
  24. fine — high quality

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