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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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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: wind · chip · pitch · calf · deal · cell · season · rock

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. season — of the year
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. season — in sport
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rock — music
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. rock — a stone

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