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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. club — a group
  3. charge — a price
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pitch — completely
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chip — for betting
  10. club — for golf
  11. charge — electricity
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. charge — in control
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. stock — goods
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. field — a subject
  22. stock — shares
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. field — for sport

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