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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.

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: field · bay · calf · season · chip · pop · land · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. season — in sport
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. chip — for betting
  6. pop — to visit
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. land — a country
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. field — a subject
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. pop — soda
  14. land — ground
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. land — to come down
  17. season — of the year
  18. cell — in biology
  19. field — farmland
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. field — for sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pop — music

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