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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. game — a match
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. stand — to bear
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mug — a face
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. game — wild animals
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — steady
  22. clip — a video
  23. chip — for betting
  24. pound — a weight

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