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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: bat · field · hide · bear · foot · file · chip · firm

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. firm — decided
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. file — a document
  6. bear — the animal
  7. foot — a measure
  8. field — for sport
  9. bat — the animal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. field — farmland
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. chip — for betting
  14. file — a tool
  15. firm — steady
  16. field — a subject
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chip — to eat
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. firm — a company
  24. chip — in a computer

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