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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. field — farmland
  2. land — a country
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mark — a trace
  6. cap — a hat
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rest — what's left
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rest — a break
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mark — a grade
  16. land — to come down
  17. rest — what's left
  18. date — the fruit
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. land — ground
  23. date — on the calendar
  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