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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 · game · fan · chip · season · net · staff · pitcher

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. net — for catching
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. net — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. net — after costs
  20. chip — for betting
  21. field — for sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. season — in sport

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