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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. land — a country
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. field — a subject
  7. craft — a skill
  8. chip — for betting
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. field — for sport
  11. ball — a dance
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. present — the time now
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. present — there
  17. craft — boats
  18. chip — to eat
  19. field — farmland
  20. land — ground
  21. present — a gift
  22. land — to come down
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. ball — a great time

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