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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: foot · field · rock · bound · cabinet · mark · chip · clip

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rock — music
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. field — farmland
  5. bound — certain
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. field — a subject
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. rock — a stone
  18. chip — for betting
  19. mark — a trace
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. mark — a grade

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