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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. game — wild animals
  5. chip — to eat
  6. current — electric
  7. field — farmland
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. current — of water
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. chip — for betting
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. current — happening now
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. field — a subject
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. dip — to sink
  21. field — for sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. game — a match
  24. chip — in a computer

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