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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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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 · tear · pit · roll · chip · temple · deal · cell

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — to handle
  3. roll — a list
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chip — for betting
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. tear — to rip
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. chip — to eat
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cell — in biology
  24. temple — a place of worship

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