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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: firm · season · capital · chip · hand · can · pit · field

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. field — farmland
  3. season — of the year
  4. pit — in a race
  5. field — a subject
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. capital — money
  8. hand — help
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — a hole
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. firm — decided
  13. hand — in cards
  14. firm — steady
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. field — for sport
  17. season — in sport
  18. capital — a city
  19. chip — for betting
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. firm — a company
  23. can — a tin
  24. chip — to eat

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