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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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. court — of a king
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. pop — soda
  6. net — in sport
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pop — music
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. field — a subject
  12. cue — a signal
  13. chip — to eat
  14. mark — a grade
  15. field — farmland
  16. cue — for pool
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. cue — a hint
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — after costs
  22. pop — to visit
  23. net — for catching
  24. mark — a trace

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