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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: racket · field · saw · chip · pitch · hand · prune · scale

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. prune — to trim
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pitch — completely
  8. field — a subject
  9. chip — for betting
  10. hand — in cards
  11. field — farmland
  12. saw — the tool
  13. chip — to eat
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. prune — to trim
  17. saw — the tool
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. hand — help
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. field — for sport
  23. scale — size or range
  24. racket — for tennis

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