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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: clip · game · pit · pitcher · chip · rash · mark · tear

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. mark — a trace
  6. tear — to rip
  7. clip — to cut
  8. chip — for betting
  9. game — a match
  10. mark — a grade
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pit — a hole
  16. clip — for paper
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. clip — a video
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rash — a series
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rash — on the skin

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