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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: track · mine · board · hand · prune · chip · pitch · perch

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. board — to get on
  4. track — a song
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. hand — help
  9. prune — to trim
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. track — a path
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mine — for digging
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. chip — for betting
  23. board — a committee
  24. hand — in cards

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