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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: coach · board · wind · chip · file · pitcher · mouse · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. board — a committee
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. board — to get on
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitch — completely
  8. file — a document
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chip — for betting
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. file — a line of people
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. file — a tool
  24. mouse — for a computer

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