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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · chair · pop · mug · chip · can · present · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. can — a tin
  4. field — for sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mug — to rob
  7. pop — soda
  8. chip — to eat
  9. field — farmland
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mug — a face
  12. present — a gift
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. can — a tin
  16. field — a subject
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. present — there
  19. present — the time now
  20. pop — to visit
  21. can — to be able to
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pop — music
  24. chair — a professorship

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