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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rash — hasty
  4. can — a tin
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. field — farmland
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. can — a tin
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rash — a series
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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