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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. chip — to eat
  3. net — after costs
  4. field — for sport
  5. chip — for betting
  6. charge — in control
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. net — for catching
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. field — farmland
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lean — thin
  16. charge — a price
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. charge — electricity
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. net — in sport
  24. bass — low music

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