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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  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. firm — a company
  2. ball — a dance
  3. field — a subject
  4. firm — steady
  5. field — farmland
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. kid — child
  8. track — a path
  9. suit — to fit
  10. field — for sport
  11. track — a song
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. track — to keep track
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mine — for digging
  20. firm — decided
  21. chip — for betting
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — in cards
  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