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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. field — farmland
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. field — for sport
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. firm — steady
  7. object — to protest
  8. fine — high quality
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. firm — decided
  11. stem — to come from
  12. present — a gift
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fine — all right
  15. firm — a company
  16. capital — a city
  17. present — the time now
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — an aim
  20. field — a subject
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. present — there
  23. capital — money
  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