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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: bat · bass · face · chip · pitcher · pitch · coach · leaves

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. bass — low music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. face — to point toward
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. face — part of the head
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. face — to confront
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. pitch — completely
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bass — the fish
  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