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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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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 · jam · ball · chip · key · band · tear · fall

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. field — for sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. key — the most important part
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. tear — from crying
  9. key — for a lock
  10. tear — to rip
  11. field — a subject
  12. ball — a dance
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ball — a great time
  15. band — a music group
  16. field — farmland
  17. key — in music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. fall — the season
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. fall — to drop

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