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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: bore · field · stock · capital · net · lie · bay · ground

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. ground — crushed
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. field — farmland
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. stock — shares
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. net — after costs
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. ground — a position
  17. field — for sport
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. field — a subject
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. capital — a big letter

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