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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. suit — clothes
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. chip — to eat
  5. field — a subject
  6. ground — crushed
  7. track — a song
  8. suit — to fit
  9. stock — shares
  10. field — farmland
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pitch — completely
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. field — for sport
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. ground — a position
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. track — a path
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. suit — in cards
  22. ground — the earth
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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