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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chip — for betting
  3. pitch — completely
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. chip — to eat
  14. wake — a trail
  15. spring — of water
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. spring — the season
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. spring — a coil

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