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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: chip · pitch · spell · cell · date · stand · bore · dip

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. chip — for betting
  3. stand — to bear
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bore — to tire
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. spell — letters
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. date — the fruit
  12. cell — in biology
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cell — a phone
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. spell — magic
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pitch — completely

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