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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 116 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: fall · pitcher · chip · charge · game · stick · calf · club

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fall — to drop
  3. game — a match
  4. club — a group
  5. chip — to eat
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. charge — in control
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fall — to drop
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — a price
  19. fall — the season
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chip — for betting
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. club — for golf

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