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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wake — a trail
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. field — for sport
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. squash — to crush
  15. kid — child
  16. field — a subject
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. field — farmland

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