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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · bore · date · chip · rock · cold · pitcher · spell

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rock — a stone
  6. spell — letters
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to drill
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chip — to eat
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bore — to tire
  16. chip — for betting
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. date — the fruit
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. spell — magic
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cold — not warm

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