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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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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: chip · sharp · row · bulb · field · stand · cue · lie

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cue — for pool
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bulb — for light
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. row — a line
  9. lie — to recline
  10. sharp — clever
  11. field — a subject
  12. cue — a signal
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bulb — for light
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. field — for sport
  19. chip — for betting
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cue — a hint
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bulb — of a plant

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