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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: fan · dip · chip · pit · coach · board · field · prune

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. chip — to eat
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pit — a hole
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. dip — to sink
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. field — a subject
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pit — in a race
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. field — farmland
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. field — for sport
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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