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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. field — farmland
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. march — the month
  10. club — for dancing
  11. firm — a company
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. chip — for betting
  14. toast — bread
  15. march — music
  16. firm — decided
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. field — a subject
  19. club — a group
  20. chip — to eat
  21. march — the month
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. firm — steady
  24. field — for sport

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