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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. field — for sport
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. field — a subject
  8. mine — for digging
  9. branch — a division
  10. field — farmland
  11. mug — a face
  12. fine — high quality
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. staff — employees
  15. fine — all right
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bass — low music
  18. mug — a cup
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. chip — for betting

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