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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · fine · date · shower · straw · field · stand · chip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. object — a thing
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. field — for sport
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. chip — for betting
  8. fine — high quality
  9. date — the fruit
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stand — to bear
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. field — a subject
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fine — all right
  19. object — to protest
  20. field — farmland
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. object — an aim
  23. chip — to eat
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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