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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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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: ground · saw · scale · track · sharp · pitch · clip · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ground — a position
  4. saw — the tool
  5. sharp — clever
  6. scale — size or range
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. clip — a video
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. track — a song
  11. ground — crushed
  12. track — a path
  13. ground — the earth
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. scale — in music
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. clip — to cut
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. chip — to eat
  24. pitch — completely

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