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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chip — for betting
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. field — a subject
  6. chip — to eat
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bank — for money
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. field — farmland
  12. craft — boats
  13. bank — of a river
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. root — of a plant
  16. shower — to wash
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. root — of a word
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. craft — a skill
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. root — the cause
  23. bank — for money
  24. shower — rain

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