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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. toast — bread
  5. pit — in a race
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. game — a match
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. field — for sport
  11. current — of water
  12. field — farmland
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. spring — a coil
  15. field — a subject
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. pit — a hole
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bank — for money
  21. spring — of water
  22. chip — for betting
  23. spring — the season
  24. bank — for money

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