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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cell — a phone
  3. season — in sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. snap — to click
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cell — in biology
  13. stand — to bear
  14. chip — to eat
  15. tube — a container
  16. chip — for betting
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. season — of the year
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. tube — the underground
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pitcher — a jug

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