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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitcher · wind · net · mine · pit · chip

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mine — for digging
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pit — a hole
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wind — moving air
  14. net — in sport
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. net — for catching
  18. 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