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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: straw · chip · pop · net · cue · drill · current · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. current — happening now
  3. pop — soda
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. drill — the tool
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. drill — a practice
  8. chip — to eat
  9. net — for catching
  10. pop — to visit
  11. current — of water
  12. cue — a signal
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cue — for pool
  15. net — in sport
  16. current — electric
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pitch — completely
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pop — music
  23. drill — army training
  24. net — after costs

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