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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: pitch · scale · chip · kick · swing · sharp · hand · field

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. kick — in football
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. hand — help
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. chip — to eat
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pitch — completely
  13. swing — in golf
  14. scale — in music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. field — a subject
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. sharp — clever
  23. scale — size or range
  24. chip — for betting

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