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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · cap · cell · chip · ball · race

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cap — a lid
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chip — to eat
  8. race — humankind
  9. cell — a phone
  10. race — a contest
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cell — in biology
  13. ball — a dance
  14. cap — of ice
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cell — in a prison

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