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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. field — a subject
  9. press — to push
  10. last — final
  11. clip — a video
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — a thing
  14. press — a publisher
  15. last — to go on
  16. press — newspapers
  17. last — finally
  18. object — to protest
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. plane — a tool
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — for betting

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