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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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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: bear · field · track · chip · cue · racket · fork · straw

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. field — farmland
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bear — the animal
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cue — a signal
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. track — a song
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. field — for sport
  18. chip — for betting
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bear — the animal
  21. field — a subject
  22. track — a path
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. track — to keep track

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