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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: track · chip · mine · pitcher · pit · charge · clip · lash

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pit — in a race
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pit — a hole
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. charge — a price
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. chip — to eat
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. charge — in control
  12. track — a path
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. clip — to cut
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. track — a song
  20. charge — electricity
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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