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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: stand · date · cap · track · file · squash · chip · toast

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. squash — the sport
  4. track — to keep track
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. file — a tool
  8. chip — to eat
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stand — to bear
  14. chip — for betting
  15. toast — bread
  16. date — the fruit
  17. squash — to crush
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. file — a document
  20. track — a path
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cap — of ice
  24. track — a song

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