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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: bat · content · craft · cue · pitcher · kid · chip · face

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. face — to confront
  3. content — the amount
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. kid — to tease
  6. content — happy
  7. cue — for pool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bat — the animal
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. kid — child
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. face — part of the head
  18. craft — boats
  19. chip — to eat
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. craft — a skill
  24. chip — in a computer

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