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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.

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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: mate · trunk · pitcher · ground · present · tube · game · chair

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mate — to breed
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. present — the time now
  7. tube — the underground
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mate — a partner
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. game — wild animals
  12. ground — the earth
  13. game — a match
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. mate — a friend
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. ground — a position
  21. chair — a leader
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. trunk — of a tree

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