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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · bass · vault · ball · date · clip · patient · field

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. vault — a safe
  4. date — the fruit
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chip — for betting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. field — a subject
  9. ball — a dance
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ball — a great time
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bass — the fish
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bass — low music
  18. chip — to eat
  19. clip — a video
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. clip — for paper

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