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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pound — a weight
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bat — the animal
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cue — for pool
  23. chip — for betting
  24. pound — for dogs

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