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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.

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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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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: object · field · arm · staff · kid · deal · chip · wound

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. field — for sport
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chip — to eat
  6. field — farmland
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. kid — child
  9. field — a subject
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. staff — employees
  12. chip — for betting
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. object — an aim
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. staff — employees
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. object — a thing
  23. kid — to tease
  24. deal — an agreement

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