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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. chip — for betting
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. field — a subject
  7. foot — a measure
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. clip — to cut
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. toast — bread
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. field — farmland
  15. land — ground
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. chip — to eat
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. field — for sport
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. foot — part of the body

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