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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. field — farmland
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chip — to eat
  7. field — for sport
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pop — music
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. field — a subject
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. game — a match
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. can — a tin

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