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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. field — farmland
  4. cold — an illness
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. club — for dancing
  7. deal — to handle
  8. stock — goods
  9. chip — for betting
  10. field — for sport
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. chip — to eat
  15. field — a subject
  16. lean — to bend
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. club — for golf
  19. cold — not warm
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. lean — thin
  22. stock — shares
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. club — a group

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