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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 116 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: calf · game · chip · pitch · shower · cabinet · season · capital

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. chip — to eat
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. shower — rain
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pitch — completely
  11. game — wild animals
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. shower — to wash
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chip — for betting
  21. season — of the year
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. season — in sport

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