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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 · kick · toast · roll · field · jam · hand · cue

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. cue — a signal
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — a cake
  9. chip — to eat
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. cue — a hint
  14. field — farmland
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. field — a subject
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. field — for sport
  19. cue — for pool
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. toast — bread
  24. jam — in traffic

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