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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. field — a subject
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. chip — to eat
  7. field — farmland
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. field — for sport
  12. capital — money
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. game — a match
  23. capital — a city
  24. jam — a tight spot

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