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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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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: bear · stock · field · pound · rest · cell · bat · game

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. field — a subject
  8. rest — a break
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pound — a weight
  17. rest — what's left
  18. field — farmland
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stock — shares
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cell — a phone

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