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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: bay · tube · chip · bass · deal · temple · bat · field

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bass — low music
  3. field — farmland
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. field — for sport
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. field — a subject
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bat — the animal
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. tube — a container
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bay — a horse colour

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