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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: mug · pound · field · key · chip · game · wind · stand

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. field — a subject
  3. pound — a weight
  4. key — for a lock
  5. field — farmland
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stand — to bear
  15. mug — a face
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chip — to eat
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. field — for sport
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. game — a match

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