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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: pitcher · tear · chip · club · cue · can · perch · mine

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. tear — from crying
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cue — for pool
  8. can — a tin
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tear — to rip
  11. club — for golf
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. club — a group
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mine — for digging
  20. club — for dancing
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chip — in a computer

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