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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mug — a face
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. current — electric
  6. stock — shares
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. current — of water
  9. firm — a company
  10. chip — for betting
  11. firm — decided
  12. land — ground
  13. firm — steady
  14. land — to come down
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. land — a country
  18. field — for sport
  19. stock — goods
  20. current — happening now
  21. mug — a cup
  22. row — a line
  23. field — a subject
  24. mug — to rob

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