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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. drill — the tool
  4. chip — to eat
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. row — to paddle
  10. firm — a company
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. firm — steady
  13. field — a subject
  14. drill — army training
  15. roll — a list
  16. field — for sport
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chip — for betting
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. row — a line
  24. firm — decided

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