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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 120 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: season · pitch · clip · kick · patient · lean · chip · drill

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. clip — for paper
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lean — thin
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. chip — for betting
  13. drill — a practice
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. drill — army training
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pitch — completely
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. season — in sport
  20. clip — to cut
  21. drill — the tool
  22. clip — a video
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lean — to rest against

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