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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. field — a subject
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. field — for sport
  9. lean — thin
  10. chair — a leader
  11. field — farmland
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. lean — to bend
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. arm — a part of something

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