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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: ground · lie · pit · field · ball · chip · nail · spell

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ball — a dance
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chip — for betting
  7. ball — a great time
  8. spell — magic
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. chip — to eat
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. field — farmland
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. lie — to recline
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pit — a hole
  23. spell — letters
  24. pit — in a race

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