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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: dip · game · field · chip · mug · kid · board · last

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. kid — child
  4. game — wild animals
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. last — finally
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. mug — a cup
  11. board — to get on
  12. last — final
  13. game — a match
  14. mug — to rob
  15. field — farmland
  16. chip — for betting
  17. kid — to tease
  18. dip — to sink
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mug — a face
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. board — a committee
  23. last — to go on
  24. chip — to eat

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