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

Word bank: mark · pitch · game · rock · chip · club · mine · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. mark — a grade
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. chip — for betting
  14. pitch — completely
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rock — music
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mine — for digging
  21. game — a match
  22. chip — to eat
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pitch — a sports field

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