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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: chip · tear · field · present · club · date · mug · bat

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bat — the animal
  3. present — the time now
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. present — a gift
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. club — for golf
  10. chip — for betting
  11. field — for sport
  12. date — the fruit
  13. club — for dancing
  14. field — farmland
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. tear — from crying
  17. field — a subject
  18. club — a group
  19. chip — to eat
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. tear — to rip
  23. present — there
  24. mug — a face

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