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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: pound · pitch · mine · field · craft · charge · bark · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. charge — a price
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. craft — boats
  14. charge — electricity
  15. field — a subject
  16. pound — a weight
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bark — to shout
  19. charge — in control
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mine — an explosive

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