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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 120 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 · racket · game · bore · chip · rush · fork · wave

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. chip — for betting
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. field — a subject
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. field — farmland
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. game — a match
  22. field — for sport
  23. chip — to eat
  24. wave — of the sea

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