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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chip — to eat
  3. swing — to play on
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bound — tied together
  7. field — farmland
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bound — certain
  12. swing — music
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rush — hurry

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