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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. field — farmland
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chip — to eat
  6. suit — in cards
  7. field — for sport
  8. land — to come down
  9. suit — to fit
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bore — to drill
  13. suit — clothes
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. land — a country
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. field — a subject
  24. land — ground

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