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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. field — for sport
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. march — the month
  5. lie — to recline
  6. march — music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. root — of a word
  16. march — the month
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. chip — to eat
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. squash — the sport

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