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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.

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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: pitcher · chip · snap · row · prune · mug · cap · pound

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. row — a line
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. chip — to eat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. snap — to click
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — a weight
  19. row — to paddle
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mug — to rob
  24. chip — for betting

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