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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. mine — for digging
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. field — farmland
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. chip — to eat
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. field — a subject
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. land — to come down
  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