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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: spell · sharp · cap · craft · date · chip · land · racket

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. land — a country
  3. spell — magic
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. date — the fruit
  6. spell — letters
  7. cap — a hat
  8. spell — a short time
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chip — to eat
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. craft — boats
  13. land — ground
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. chip — for betting
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. craft — a skill
  20. sharp — clever
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cap — a lid
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. land — to come down

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