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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. chip — to eat
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. roll — a list
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mug — a face
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mug — a cup
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mug — to rob
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. lean — thin
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pitch — completely

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