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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. field — a subject
  5. row — a line
  6. field — for sport
  7. chip — for betting
  8. spell — letters
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hand — in cards
  11. chip — to eat
  12. spell — a short time
  13. can — a tin
  14. board — a committee
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. hand — help
  19. spell — magic
  20. board — to get on
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. field — farmland
  23. row — to paddle
  24. can — to be able to

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