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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 120 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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. field — for sport
  6. kid — to tease
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. row — a line
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — child
  11. row — to paddle
  12. field — a subject
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. prune — to trim
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. chip — for betting
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stand — to bear
  24. 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