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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: track · chip · shower · calf · pitch · bass · tube · field

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. tube — the underground
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pitch — completely
  12. track — to keep track
  13. field — a subject
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bass — low music
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. field — farmland
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. field — for sport
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bass — the fish
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. shower — rain
  24. tube — a container

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