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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: wound · chip · key · fall · deal · field · bound · season

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. season — in sport
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chip — for betting
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. field — farmland
  8. wound — an injury
  9. key — in music
  10. bound — tied together
  11. chip — to eat
  12. fall — the season
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — certain
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. season — of the year
  18. field — a subject
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. key — the most important part
  22. fall — to drop
  23. key — for a lock
  24. deal — a big deal

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