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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. field — a subject
  3. track — a path
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. current — of water
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. lean — thin
  8. chip — for betting
  9. field — for sport
  10. chip — to eat
  11. track — a song
  12. current — happening now
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. ball — a dance
  19. lean — to bend
  20. current — electric
  21. ball — a great time
  22. field — farmland
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. lean — to rest against

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