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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mug · game · season · cold · root · racket

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mug — to rob
  3. root — of a word
  4. cold — not warm
  5. chip — for betting
  6. root — the cause
  7. mug — a cup
  8. season — in sport
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pitch — completely
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. chip — to eat
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mug — a face
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. season — of the year
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cold — the Cold War

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