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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. field — a subject
  4. chip — to eat
  5. field — farmland
  6. object — a thing
  7. field — for sport
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. sharp — clever
  11. land — to come down
  12. stock — goods
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bear — the animal
  15. object — to protest
  16. chip — for betting
  17. object — an aim
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. land — ground
  20. stock — shares
  21. land — a country
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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