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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: can · pound · content · staff · ground · pitcher · fan · chip

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — the earth
  4. can — a tin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. content — happy
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. can — to be able to
  11. staff — employees
  12. can — a tin
  13. ground — a position
  14. staff — a stick
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. content — the amount
  19. staff — employees
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chip — to eat
  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