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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: chip · present · sharp · coach · wax · vault · pitch · stock

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. present — there
  4. stock — goods
  5. chip — to eat
  6. present — the time now
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. chip — for betting
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stock — shares
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pitch — completely
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wax — to grow
  21. vault — a safe
  22. present — a gift
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pitch — a sports field

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