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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · pitcher · rush · file · present · date · lash · chip

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. court — of law
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. court — for sport
  9. chip — for betting
  10. file — a line of people
  11. chip — to eat
  12. court — of a king
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. present — the time now
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. present — there
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. date — the fruit
  24. rush — hurry

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