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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: season · track · present · plane · bat · pop · date · chip

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. season — in sport
  5. present — the time now
  6. pop — to visit
  7. chip — to eat
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. season — of the year
  10. track — a song
  11. pop — music
  12. bat — the animal
  13. plane — a tool
  14. chip — for betting
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. present — a gift
  17. pop — soda
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. present — there
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. date — the fruit
  24. track — a path

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