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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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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 · bat · lie · snap · game · ball · pound · pit

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. game — wild animals
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. game — a match
  16. snap — to click
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. ball — a dance
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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