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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: wave · chip · jam · field · pit · mine · mug · kid

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. field — for sport
  3. chip — to eat
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mug — a face
  7. field — a subject
  8. kid — child
  9. mug — a cup
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. field — farmland
  22. mug — to rob
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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