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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. field — farmland
  3. rule — a law
  4. field — for sport
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rule — government
  7. chip — for betting
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. field — a subject
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pit — a hole
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pit — in a race
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mark — a grade
  24. degree — temperature

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