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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: chip · pitcher · pit · tear · spring · cap · dip · fan

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. tear — from crying
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cap — a hat
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. dip — to sink
  16. spring — the season
  17. chip — for betting
  18. spring — a coil
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cap — of ice
  24. spring — of water

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