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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 · firm · drill · date · rush · kid · field · perch

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. field — for sport
  3. drill — a practice
  4. chip — for betting
  5. firm — a company
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. kid — to tease
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. field — farmland
  10. rush — hurry
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. kid — child
  13. perch — the fish
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chip — to eat
  16. drill — army training
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. firm — steady
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. firm — decided
  23. field — a subject
  24. perch — for a bird

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