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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: chip · rock · pitcher · pop · spell · ruler · net · field

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. field — for sport
  3. pop — to visit
  4. field — farmland
  5. net — after costs
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. spell — letters
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rock — a stone
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. field — a subject
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pop — music
  14. spell — a short time
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pop — soda
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. spell — magic
  24. pitcher — a jug

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