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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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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 · object · face · chip · foot · wind · cue · rock

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. field — a subject
  5. object — a thing
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. object — to protest
  8. wind — moving air
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rock — a stone
  11. object — an aim
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. field — for sport
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cue — for pool
  18. face — to confront
  19. cue — a hint
  20. rock — music
  21. foot — a measure
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cue — a signal

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