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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: land · chip · track · degree · rash · foot · hand · date

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. hand — help
  7. track — to keep track
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chip — to eat
  10. track — a song
  11. chip — for betting
  12. degree — an amount
  13. date — the fruit
  14. rash — hasty
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rash — a series
  17. track — a path
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. degree — temperature
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. foot — a measure

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