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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.

Words on the sheet
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: wave · pitch · rash · hand · rock · present · land · chip

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. land — to come down
  15. rash — a series
  16. present — the time now
  17. hand — help
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. present — a gift
  20. rock — music
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rock — a stone
  23. present — there
  24. wave — with your hand

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