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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. scale — in music
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rock — a stone
  10. kid — child
  11. rock — music
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pass — a permit
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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