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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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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: fork · chip · pitcher · cell · lash · shower · hide · patient

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. shower — rain
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fork — in a road
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cell — a phone
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chip — to eat
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. cell — in a prison

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