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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 · saw · hand · object · chip · can · ground · pass

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. hand — in cards
  3. object — an aim
  4. can — a tin
  5. object — a thing
  6. hand — help
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. field — farmland
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ground — the earth
  16. chip — for betting
  17. can — to be able to
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. can — a tin
  20. field — a subject
  21. ground — a position
  22. field — for sport
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ground — crushed

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