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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. clip — to cut
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. field — for sport
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. field — farmland
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pitch — completely
  13. saw — the tool
  14. clip — for paper
  15. content — the amount
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. chip — for betting
  20. content — happy
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tube — a container
  23. clip — a video
  24. chip — to eat

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