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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: date · present · pit · chip · band · net · file · spell

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pit — a hole
  4. file — a tool
  5. net — after costs
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. net — for catching
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pit — in a race
  13. date — the fruit
  14. file — a document
  15. band — a music group
  16. present — the time now
  17. spell — a short time
  18. net — in sport
  19. band — a ring
  20. present — a gift
  21. chip — to eat
  22. present — there
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. chip — for betting

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