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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: club · face · chip · net · plane · kid · pitcher · firm

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. net — after costs
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. face — to confront
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. chip — for betting
  10. face — to point toward
  11. net — in sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. club — for golf
  16. net — for catching
  17. kid — to tease
  18. chip — to eat
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — a company
  21. kid — child
  22. club — for dancing
  23. firm — steady
  24. club — a group

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