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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 116 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  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. field — for sport
  2. pitch — completely
  3. ball — a dance
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mug — a cup
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mug — to rob
  11. chip — for betting
  12. game — a match
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. saw — the tool
  16. field — farmland
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chip — to eat
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. field — a subject
  23. mug — a face
  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