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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: chip · current · net · ball · wind · field · jam · mate

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ball — a dance
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. field — a subject
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. mate — to breed
  7. current — of water
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. net — for catching
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. ball — a great time
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wind — moving air
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. current — happening now
  18. net — after costs
  19. mate — a friend
  20. current — electric
  21. net — in sport
  22. chip — to eat
  23. mate — a partner
  24. field — for sport

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