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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. track — a song
  3. land — ground
  4. bear — the animal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. swing — in golf
  11. field — a subject
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. squash — the sport
  19. land — to come down
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. track — a path
  22. bear — the animal
  23. squash — to crush
  24. scale — in music

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