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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. bat — the animal
  5. chip — for betting
  6. land — to come down
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. cue — a hint
  10. land — a country
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cue — a signal
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. field — a subject
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. stock — goods
  19. cue — for pool
  20. firm — decided
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bat — in an idiom

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