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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. file — a document
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bass — low music
  8. snap — to click
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. file — a tool
  12. game — a match
  13. bass — the fish
  14. field — for sport
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. field — farmland
  17. game — wild animals
  18. file — a line of people
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. chip — for betting

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