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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bass — the fish
  3. field — for sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. field — a subject
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bass — low music
  14. ball — a dance
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. coach — pulled by horses

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