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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. field — farmland
  7. mate — a partner
  8. clip — a video
  9. present — the time now
  10. mug — a cup
  11. clip — for paper
  12. present — there
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mug — a face
  17. field — for sport
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. field — a subject
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. chip — for betting
  22. present — a gift
  23. mate — a friend
  24. chip — to eat

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