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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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468
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: bound · kid · chip · leaves · scale · game · wake · pitch

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. kid — child
  4. chip — to eat
  5. wake — a trail
  6. game — a match
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pitch — completely
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bound — certain
  14. chip — for betting
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bound — obliged
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. game — wild animals
  21. scale — in music
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bound — tied together
  24. scale — size or range

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