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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. field — a subject
  3. club — for golf
  4. saw — the tool
  5. club — for dancing
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — farmland
  16. mark — a grade
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. field — for sport
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. chip — to eat

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