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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.

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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. chip — to eat
  4. suit — to fit
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. hand — in cards
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. swing — to play on
  9. hand — help
  10. scale — in music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. chip — for betting
  14. suit — in cards
  15. suit — clothes
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — music
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. pitch — completely
  24. scale — size or range

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