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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. field — for sport
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wind — moving air
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. chip — to eat
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wind — moving air
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — a subject
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. field — farmland
  24. snap — to click

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