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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: key · pitch · chest · saw · bear · roll · chip · object

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — a cake
  3. chest — a box
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. saw — the tool
  9. key — in music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chest — of your body
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. object — to protest
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. key — the most important part
  19. chest — of your body
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. object — a thing
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. saw — the tool
  24. object — an aim

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