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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · club · foot · pitch · press · wind

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. chip — to eat
  3. club — a group
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pitch — completely
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. chip — for betting
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. press — to push
  18. club — for dancing

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