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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 · date · field · foot · object · net · jam · wound

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. object — an aim
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wound — an injury
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. field — a subject
  7. net — for catching
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wound — an injury
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. object — a thing
  13. net — in sport
  14. field — for sport
  15. chip — to eat
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. date — the fruit
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. object — to protest
  21. chip — for betting
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. field — farmland

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