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

Word bank: toast · chip · cell · date · stand · field

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. chip — to eat
  3. field — farmland
  4. date — the fruit
  5. cell — a phone
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. field — for sport
  9. chip — for betting
  10. field — a subject
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stand — to bear
  17. toast — bread
  18. date — on the calendar

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