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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: bowl · rock · pitch · chip · cabinet · straw · chest · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. content — happy
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. content — the amount
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pitch — completely
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. chest — a box
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. chip — to eat

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