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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 116 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: chair · field · swing · bear · stand · chip · game · object

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. object — to protest
  5. field — for sport
  6. swing — in golf
  7. field — a subject
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. swing — music
  10. field — farmland
  11. object — an aim
  12. stand — to bear
  13. swing — to play on
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. chair — a leader
  19. game — a match
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. object — a thing
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bear — the animal

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