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

Word bank: present · chip · ball · cell · field · mark · firm · bank

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. firm — a company
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. firm — decided
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. bank — of a river
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. present — the time now
  11. bank — for money
  12. present — a gift
  13. firm — steady
  14. ball — a great time
  15. field — for sport
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bank — for money
  18. ball — a dance
  19. present — there
  20. mark — a trace
  21. chip — for betting
  22. mark — a grade
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. 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