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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: chip · rash · field · ball · cell · bat · chair · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. hand — help
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ball — a great time
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rash — a series
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. rash — hasty
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. field — a subject
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. field — for sport
  23. ball — a dance
  24. field — farmland

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