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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 120 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. scale — in music
  3. net — after costs
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. race — the arms race
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. chip — to eat
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. race — a contest
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. race — humankind
  22. scale — size or range
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mug — to rob

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