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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. land — ground
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. ground — a position
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. field — a subject
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ground — the earth
  22. chip — for betting
  23. field — for sport
  24. pitch — completely

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