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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: mate · chip · cue · pitch · bat · mouse · file · track

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. cue — a signal
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. file — a document
  13. mate — to breed
  14. chip — to eat
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. track — a song
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. file — a tool

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