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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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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: pitch · chip · firm · lean · row · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chip — to eat
  3. lean — to bend
  4. firm — decided
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. chip — for betting
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. lean — thin
  10. firm — a company
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. firm — steady
  16. row — to paddle
  17. tear — to rip
  18. row — a line

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