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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: club · kid · tear · chip · pitcher · toast · lash · present

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. tear — from crying
  3. present — a gift
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kid — child
  9. toast — bread
  10. present — the time now
  11. club — for golf
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. chip — to eat
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. club — a group
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. present — there
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. kid — to tease
  24. tear — from crying

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