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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: bear · shower · mate · leaves · pitcher · bat · chip · fan

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. shower — rain
  7. chip — for betting
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mate — to breed
  24. fan — a supporter

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