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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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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: bat · pound · chip · swing · stick · temple · mine · pitch

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. swing — to play on
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. swing — music
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pitch — completely
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. swing — in golf
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mine — an explosive

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