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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
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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: chip · march · pitcher · sharp · field · tube · pop · bat

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pop — music
  4. field — for sport
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. march — the month
  9. chip — for betting
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — music
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. tube — a container
  18. pop — soda
  19. chip — to eat
  20. field — farmland
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. march — the month
  24. tube — the underground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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