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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. field — for sport
  4. band — a music group
  5. field — a subject
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. board — a committee
  13. hand — help
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. chip — to eat
  16. field — farmland
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. chip — for betting
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. board — to get on

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