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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: pit · current · field · plane · chest · mouse · bowl · chip

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. field — farmland
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. current — happening now
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. field — a subject
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. pit — a hole
  14. chip — to eat
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. plane — a tool
  20. current — of water
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. field — for sport
  24. chest — of your body

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