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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: coach · chip · racket · shower · foot · pitcher · pop · field

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. shower — rain
  6. chip — to eat
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pop — to visit
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. foot — a measure
  20. field — farmland
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. shower — to wash

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