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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bass — the fish
  3. land — a country
  4. dip — to sink
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. land — to come down
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bass — low music
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. field — for sport
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stock — goods
  16. land — ground
  17. present — there
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chip — to eat
  20. stock — shares
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. present — a gift
  23. chip — for betting
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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