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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 120 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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chest — a box
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. field — farmland
  9. stock — goods
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stock — shares
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rush — hurry
  15. chair — a leader
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. field — a subject
  19. drill — army training
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. chest — of your body
  22. drill — a practice
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of a tree

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