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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. chip — for betting
  7. rule — government
  8. rock — a stone
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wound — an injury
  11. net — in sport
  12. pop — music
  13. rule — a law
  14. field — for sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. field — a subject
  18. net — after costs
  19. plane — a tool
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rock — music
  24. field — farmland

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