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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. chip — to eat
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. field — for sport
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rock — a stone
  15. field — a subject
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rock — music
  21. chest — a box
  22. bark — to shout
  23. chip — for betting
  24. jam — in traffic

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