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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. firm — a company
  7. chip — to eat
  8. firm — steady
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. firm — decided
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chip — for betting
  18. field — a subject

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