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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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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 · stand · bass · face · game · field · wake · sharp

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bass — low music
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. sharp — clever
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. face — to confront
  14. wake — a trail
  15. game — wild animals
  16. face — part of the head
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. game — a match
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. stand — to bear
  21. chip — to eat
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bass — the instrument
  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