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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 116 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: wind · field · chip · bowl · current · snap · hide · coach

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. current — of water
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. chip — for betting
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. current — happening now
  13. chip — to eat
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. current — electric
  16. field — a subject
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. snap — to click
  21. field — for sport
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. field — farmland
  24. hide — animal skin

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