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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mate — a friend
  3. chip — to eat
  4. shower — to wash
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. shower — rain
  7. mate — to breed
  8. race — a contest
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pitch — completely
  12. can — a tin
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. can — a tin
  15. season — of the year
  16. mate — a partner
  17. race — humankind
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. can — to be able to
  21. season — in sport
  22. race — the arms race
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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