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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: rule · pound · roll · sharp · chip · present · spell · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. present — a gift
  3. roll — a cake
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. roll — a list
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. chip — to eat
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. present — there
  12. sharp — clever
  13. spell — magic
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. field — farmland
  16. present — the time now
  17. rule — a law
  18. field — a subject
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. spell — letters
  21. chip — for betting
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pound — a weight
  24. rule — government

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