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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: toast · rush · rule · stock · stand · season · field · kick

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. kick — in football
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rule — a law
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. field — farmland
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. field — a subject
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. rule — government
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. season — of the year
  19. stock — shares
  20. toast — bread
  21. season — in sport
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. toast — the most admired

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