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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. chip — for betting
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. season — in sport
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. chip — to eat
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. game — wild animals
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. snap — to click
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. vault — a safe
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. craft — a skill
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. dip — to sink
  23. craft — boats
  24. field — a subject

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