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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: chip · can · court · leaves · hide · straw · staff · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. staff — a stick
  3. field — a subject
  4. chip — to eat
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. court — of law
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. court — of a king
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. can — to be able to
  12. field — for sport
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. staff — employees
  16. court — for sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. can — a tin
  22. chip — for betting
  23. can — a tin
  24. leaves — lets stay

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