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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: chip · lie · capital · fall · tube · field · present · degree

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. field — farmland
  3. tube — a container
  4. degree — temperature
  5. present — a gift
  6. field — a subject
  7. fall — to drop
  8. capital — money
  9. degree — from a university
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. capital — a city
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fall — the season
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. present — there
  20. fall — to drop
  21. field — for sport
  22. degree — an amount
  23. present — the time now
  24. lie — an untruth

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