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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. capital — money
  4. foot — a measure
  5. field — a subject
  6. track — to keep track
  7. chip — for betting
  8. track — a path
  9. field — for sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. swing — in golf
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. swing — music
  17. capital — a city
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. game — wild animals
  20. chip — to eat
  21. swing — to play on
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. track — a song
  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