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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 120 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. field — farmland
  3. chip — for betting
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. field — for sport
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. club — a group
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — a subject
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. club — for golf
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. club — for dancing
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. pitcher — a jug

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