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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: stick · fan · pop · pitch · tube · field · bound · chip

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. tube — a container
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pop — soda
  9. bound — certain
  10. tube — the underground
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pop — music
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pop — to visit
  18. chip — for betting
  19. field — for sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chip — to eat
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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