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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: bowl · pitch · scale · swing · wake · chip · kick · clip

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pitch — completely
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. kick — in football
  12. scale — in music
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wake — a trail
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. clip — a video
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. clip — to cut
  24. swing — to play 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