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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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Word bank
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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 · present · net · tear · pitch · stick

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pitch — completely
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. tear — to rip
  7. net — in sport
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. present — there
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. chip — for betting
  12. net — for catching
  13. present — the time now
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. present — a gift
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chip — to eat

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