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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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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: straw · game · deal · charge · bay · chip · bat · pitch

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bat — the animal
  10. game — a match
  11. charge — in control
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pitch — completely
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. chip — for betting
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. charge — a price
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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