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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
468
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 · mine · game · deal · perch · bat · cue · chip

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cue — a signal
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. game — a match
  10. mine — for digging
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. chip — for betting
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cue — a hint
  18. chip — to eat
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bat — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cue — for pool
  24. game — wild animals

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