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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 · fan · bowl · ball · scale · field · march · mark

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mark — a grade
  4. field — a subject
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. march — music
  8. field — farmland
  9. march — the month
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. scale — size or range
  15. march — the month
  16. mark — a trace
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. chip — for betting
  21. field — for sport
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. scale — in music
  24. bowl — a dish

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