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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rock · fork · field · racket · bat · fan · ground · chip

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. ground — the earth
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. ground — crushed
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — the animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. rock — music
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. field — farmland
  19. rock — a stone
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. field — for sport
  24. ground — a position

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