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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: ball · mine · field · saw · fine · chip · key · straw

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ball — a dance
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fine — high quality
  6. key — the most important part
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. key — in music
  9. field — for sport
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. ball — a great time
  13. key — for a lock
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. saw — the tool
  16. field — farmland
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chip — for betting
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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