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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: prune · tube · pitch · fall · pitcher · chip · content · pit

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. tube — in a tire
  2. pitch — completely
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fall — the season
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. tube — the underground
  11. chip — for betting
  12. prune — to trim
  13. tube — a container
  14. prune — to trim
  15. content — happy
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. content — the amount
  23. pit — in a race
  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