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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 116 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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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: cue · pitch · bowl · race · field · rule · cell · chip

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. rule — government
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cue — a hint
  14. rule — a law
  15. cell — a phone
  16. chip — to eat
  17. field — for sport
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cue — a signal
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. cue — for pool
  23. field — farmland
  24. rule — to rule out

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