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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 120 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: rest · season · pitch · race · chip · nail · staff · present

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. present — a gift
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. season — of the year
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pitch — completely
  7. rest — what's left
  8. staff — a stick
  9. present — there
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chip — to eat
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. staff — employees
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — humankind
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. present — the time now
  21. season — in sport
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. nail — on a finger

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