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

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. game — wild animals
  3. field — a subject
  4. pop — soda
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. field — farmland
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. chip — for betting
  14. ground — a position
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. field — for sport
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pound — a weight
  24. ground — the earth

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