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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. last — finally
  12. field — a subject
  13. bass — low music
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pound — a weight
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. field — farmland
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cell — a phone
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cell — in a prison

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