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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: shower · face · field · jam · chip · roll · stand · ruler

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. field — for sport
  3. shower — to wash
  4. chip — to eat
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. field — a subject
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chip — for betting
  9. field — farmland
  10. stand — to bear
  11. face — to confront
  12. roll — a list
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. shower — rain
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. face — to point toward
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stand — on your feet

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