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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 116 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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. cell — a phone
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. cell — in biology
  9. object — a thing
  10. key — in music
  11. object — to protest
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. object — an aim
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. chip — for betting
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. chip — in a computer

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