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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — for sport
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. pound — a weight
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bound — certain
  16. field — farmland
  17. bound — obliged
  18. game — a match
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. field — a subject
  24. bound — tied together

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