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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 116 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bass — the fish
  8. stand — to bear
  9. face — to confront
  10. snap — to click
  11. field — farmland
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bass — low music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. face — part of the head
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. field — a subject

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