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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pass — a permit
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. clip — a video
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. dip — to sink
  14. shower — to wash
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. clip — for paper
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. shower — rain
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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