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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. swing — music
  4. field — a subject
  5. ground — crushed
  6. swing — to play on
  7. craft — a skill
  8. chip — to eat
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. chip — for betting
  11. craft — boats
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kid — child
  17. field — farmland
  18. swing — in golf
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pound — a weight
  22. kid — to tease
  23. field — for sport
  24. ground — a position

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