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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: deal · pop · charge · chair · file · shower · bat · pitcher

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. shower — to wash
  3. deal — to handle
  4. file — a document
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. shower — rain
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. file — a tool
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. charge — electricity
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bat — the animal
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — in control
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pop — soda
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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