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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bank — of a river
  3. field — for sport
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. suit — to fit
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. spring — of water
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bass — the fish
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. chip — for betting
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. spring — the season
  16. bass — low music
  17. bat — the animal
  18. suit — in cards
  19. bank — for money
  20. chip — to eat
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bank — for money
  23. field — farmland
  24. bass — the instrument

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