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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. sharp — clever
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. chip — to eat
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. hand — help
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. date — the fruit
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. chip — for betting
  16. hand — in cards
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. last — finally

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