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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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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 · calf · bat · chair · pop · stick · field · kid

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kid — child
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pop — soda
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pop — music
  16. field — a subject
  17. kid — to tease
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bat — the animal
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. field — farmland
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. field — for sport
  24. pop — to visit

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