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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. hand — help
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. field — for sport
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. field — a subject
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. field — farmland
  18. chip — for betting
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. chip — to eat
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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