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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 116 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: club · stock · pit · field · calf · deal · spring · race

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. field — for sport
  4. stock — shares
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. club — a group
  7. field — farmland
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. race — a contest
  10. spring — of water
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pit — a hole
  13. deal — to handle
  14. club — for golf
  15. race — the arms race
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pit — in a race
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. race — humankind
  20. field — a subject
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. spring — the season

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