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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. game — a match
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mark — a trace
  7. key — in music
  8. field — a subject
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mark — a grade
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. row — a line
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — farmland
  20. chip — to eat
  21. field — for sport
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  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