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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. field — farmland
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. field — for sport
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pop — soda
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. ball — a dance
  15. field — a subject
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chip — to eat
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bowl — a football final

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