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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.

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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: saw · chip · cap · scale · mine · staff · pitch · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cap — of ice
  7. scale — in music
  8. mine — for digging
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cap — a hat
  11. field — farmland
  12. saw — the tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. saw — the tool
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cap — a lid
  22. chip — to eat
  23. field — a subject
  24. mine — belonging to me

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