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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. field — a subject
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. roll — a list
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. chip — for betting
  8. field — farmland
  9. pitch — completely
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. field — for sport
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. plane — a tool
  20. roll — a cake
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cold — an illness
  24. plane — in geometry

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