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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: tear · chip · hide · key · pitcher · firm · toast · prune

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. chip — for betting
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. key — the most important part
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. key — for a lock
  10. firm — a company
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tear — to rip
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. firm — decided
  17. key — in music
  18. firm — steady
  19. prune — to trim
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tear — from crying
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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