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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chest — of your body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chest — a box
  15. firm — steady
  16. chip — for betting
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. firm — a company
  19. toast — bread
  20. firm — decided
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tube — a container
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chest — of your body

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