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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: wax · rest · chip · sharp · pitch · coach · stand · kick

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rest — what's left
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stand — to bear
  10. kick — in football
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rest — a break
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. rest — what's left
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stand — on your feet
  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