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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. can — a tin
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rash — hasty
  7. ground — the earth
  8. staff — employees
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ground — crushed
  11. staff — employees
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. rash — a series
  15. can — to be able to
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chip — for betting
  18. ground — a position
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. can — a tin
  21. staff — a stick
  22. fall — the season
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rash — on the skin

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