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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. club — a group
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. court — for sport
  9. club — for golf
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. club — for dancing
  13. saw — the tool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. chip — for betting
  16. court — of a king
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. field — farmland
  20. saw — the tool
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. court — of law
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. chip — to eat

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