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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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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: stand · bat · suit · chip · spell · tube · pitcher · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chip — to eat
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. chip — for betting
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. tube — the underground
  9. spell — letters
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. tube — a container
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bat — the animal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. spell — magic
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. tube — in a tire

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