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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: chip · chair · mate · plane · bound · pound · field · stick

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. mate — a partner
  3. field — for sport
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — to eat
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. field — a subject
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chair — a leader
  17. plane — a tool
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mate — to breed
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. field — farmland
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. pound — to hit hard

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