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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: chest · chip · leaves · track · board · date · pit · ground

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. chip — for betting
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. ground — the earth
  6. chest — a box
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ground — a position
  10. track — a song
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. chip — to eat
  15. pit — a hole
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pit — in a race
  20. ground — crushed
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. board — a committee
  24. chest — of your body

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