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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. land — to come down
  3. current — happening now
  4. deal — to handle
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. chip — for betting
  8. field — for sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. field — farmland
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. current — electric
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. land — a country
  16. current — of water
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. season — in sport
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. land — ground
  24. field — a subject

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