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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. chip — to eat
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. chip — for betting
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. track — a path
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. band — a music group
  11. track — a song
  12. march — music
  13. cap — a hat
  14. fine — all right
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cap — of ice
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. band — a ring
  23. cap — a lid
  24. track — to keep track

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