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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. chip — for betting
  3. rash — hasty
  4. firm — a company
  5. mate — a partner
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. firm — steady
  8. track — a song
  9. chip — to eat
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. firm — decided
  15. track — a path
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. degree — from a university
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mate — to breed
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. track — to keep track
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rash — a series
  24. branch — a division

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