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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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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: trunk · pitcher · game · shower · pound · pit · present · deal

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pound — a weight
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. deal — to handle
  7. present — a gift
  8. pit — in a race
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. shower — rain
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. present — there
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. present — the time now
  18. shower — to wash
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. trunk — of a tree

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