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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitch — completely
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. chip — for betting
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. scale — in music
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cold — an illness
  11. scale — size or range
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cold — not warm
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. scale — for weighing

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