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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: cue · chip · shower · field · racket · clip · game · deal

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chip — to eat
  3. game — a match
  4. shower — rain
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. deal — to handle
  8. clip — a video
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. field — farmland
  11. cue — a signal
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cue — for pool
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cue — a hint
  18. chip — for betting
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. clip — for paper
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. clip — to cut
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. field — a subject

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