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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · field · mine · wind · ball · row · file · chip

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. file — a document
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ball — a dance
  10. file — a line of people
  11. chip — for betting
  12. file — a tool
  13. field — farmland
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wind — moving air

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