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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: field · can · bear · perch · chip · bowl · game · kid

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. can — a tin
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. perch — the fish
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. can — a tin
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bear — the animal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. game — a match
  16. field — a subject
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. can — to be able to
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. field — farmland
  24. kid — child

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