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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. chip — to eat
  3. march — the month
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. field — a subject
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rock — music
  8. field — farmland
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. march — the month
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pitch — completely
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. march — music
  20. staff — employees
  21. field — for sport
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. rock — a stone
  24. deal — an agreement

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