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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: chest · chip · march · bowl · lean · pit · game · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. game — wild animals
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — to bend
  5. chest — a box
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. chest — of your body
  9. march — music
  10. pit — a hole
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. march — the month
  18. game — a match
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. lean — thin
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. chip — to eat

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