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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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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: pit · chip · drill · bowl · stick · bat · squash · bear

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pit — in a race
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. drill — army training
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. drill — a practice
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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