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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. shower — rain
  5. present — there
  6. chip — for betting
  7. last — finally
  8. present — a gift
  9. staff — employees
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitch — completely
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. present — the time now
  17. kid — child
  18. last — to go on
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. last — final
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. shower — to wash
  24. chip — to eat

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