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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. file — a document
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. file — a line of people
  8. field — a subject
  9. file — a tool
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. pound — a weight
  12. field — farmland
  13. snap — to click
  14. roll — a cake
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. squash — the sport
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. squash — to crush
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pound — to hit hard

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