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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. land — ground
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. chip — for betting
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. land — a country
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. sharp — clever
  10. drill — the tool
  11. field — farmland
  12. deal — to handle
  13. drill — army training
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cap — a hat
  19. drill — a practice
  20. land — to come down
  21. stand — to bear
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. field — a subject
  24. deal — a big deal

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