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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lie — to recline
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. chip — to eat
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bass — low music
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. field — farmland
  12. bulb — for light
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. field — a subject
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bulb — for light
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bass — the fish
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chip — in a computer

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