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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: deal · hide · press · pitch · land · lash · bound · chip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pitch — completely
  5. land — to come down
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chip — for betting
  11. press — a publisher
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bound — certain
  14. press — newspapers
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. land — ground
  19. land — a country
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. press — to push
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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