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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. date — the fruit
  3. craft — boats
  4. can — a tin
  5. chip — for betting
  6. fine — all right
  7. field — farmland
  8. can — a tin
  9. field — for sport
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. fine — high quality
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. can — to be able to
  22. field — a subject
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — a skill

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