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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  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. ground — a position
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fork — in a road
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stock — goods
  8. tube — a container
  9. ground — the earth
  10. field — a subject
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. swing — music
  15. pit — a hole
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ground — crushed
  19. stock — shares
  20. swing — in golf
  21. field — farmland
  22. pit — in a race
  23. swing — to play on
  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