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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.

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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.

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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: saw · chip · cap · tear · mug · club · ground · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mug — a cup
  3. chip — for betting
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ground — crushed
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. tear — from crying
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ground — a position
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ground — the earth
  18. club — for golf
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cap — a lid
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cap — a hat
  24. club — a group

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