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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. ground — a position
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bulb — for light
  13. field — farmland
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bulb — for light
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. ground — crushed
  19. chip — to eat
  20. field — for sport
  21. ground — the earth
  22. deal — to handle
  23. field — a subject
  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