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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. field — for sport
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. chip — to eat
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. current — happening now
  9. key — in music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. current — electric
  12. fork — in a road
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bat — the animal
  15. field — farmland
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rock — music
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. field — a subject
  22. lean — thin
  23. key — for a lock
  24. current — of water

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