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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. land — a country
  3. chip — for betting
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pit — in a race
  8. land — to come down
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. field — for sport
  12. pit — a hole
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. kid — to tease
  17. land — ground
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. field — a subject
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. kid — child
  23. field — farmland
  24. mark — a trace

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