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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 116 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lie — to recline
  5. tube — the underground
  6. chip — to eat
  7. field — for sport
  8. game — a match
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. saw — the tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chip — for betting
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. tube — a container
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. field — farmland
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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