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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.

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: chip · game · wound · field · court · chair · fine · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. field — for sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. fine — all right
  6. field — farmland
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. court — for sport
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chip — for betting
  13. court — of law
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chair — a leader
  19. field — a subject
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. court — of a king
  23. chip — to eat
  24. fine — high quality

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