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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. land — ground
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. land — to come down
  7. field — for sport
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wound — an injury
  14. field — a subject
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pop — music
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. field — farmland
  24. racket — a loud noise

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