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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. craft — boats
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. field — a subject
  5. bat — the animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rock — a stone
  9. deal — to handle
  10. craft — a skill
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pitch — completely
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. field — for sport
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. chip — for betting
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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