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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: pop · straw · temple · bat · fan · chip · pitcher · content

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pop — to visit
  3. chip — for betting
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pop — soda
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. content — the amount
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. content — happy
  21. pop — music
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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