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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. mine — for digging
  5. plane — a tool
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. key — the most important part
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. chip — for betting
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. key — in music
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. field — farmland
  17. chip — to eat
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. field — for sport
  20. key — for a lock
  21. dip — to sink
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. field — a subject
  24. mine — an explosive

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