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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: land · chip · foot · kid · bear · mate · ball · pitcher

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. mate — to breed
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. kid — to tease
  7. chip — for betting
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. land — a country
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. kid — child
  12. land — ground
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. ball — a great time
  15. land — to come down
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. foot — a measure
  18. chip — to eat
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mate — a partner
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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