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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: face · craft · bat · chip · pitcher · bowl · court · can

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bat — the animal
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. craft — a skill
  8. court — of a king
  9. face — to confront
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. face — to point toward
  13. craft — boats
  14. can — a tin
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. court — for sport
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. chip — for betting
  23. court — of law
  24. face — part of the head

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