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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: chip · bass · court · nail · arm · firm · field · date

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. date — the fruit
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. court — of law
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. firm — decided
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. court — of a king
  9. chip — for betting
  10. field — for sport
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bass — low music
  16. firm — steady
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. firm — a company
  19. bass — the fish
  20. court — for sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. field — a subject
  23. chip — to eat
  24. nail — for a hammer

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