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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: kick · chip · last · court · mine · fall · pitch · staff

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. last — final
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. chip — for betting
  10. last — finally
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. court — of a king
  15. kick — in football
  16. fall — the season
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. last — to go on

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