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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pop — music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pop — soda
  6. field — a subject
  7. ground — a position
  8. track — to keep track
  9. field — for sport
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. track — a song
  14. chip — for betting
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. track — a path
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pitch — completely
  23. field — farmland
  24. pitch — a sports field

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