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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: track · pitcher · deal · pop · date · chair · shower · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. track — a song
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. chair — a leader
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. lean — thin
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. shower — rain
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. date — the fruit
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pop — soda
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — to visit

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