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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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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: pit · mark · cell · stand · pound · chip · bowl · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. field — farmland
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mark — a grade
  4. field — a subject
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pound — a weight
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mark — a trace
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. field — for sport
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  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