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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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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: mate · wound · cell · chip · scale · pitch · coach · vault

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pitch — completely
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mate — a partner
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. chip — for betting
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mate — a friend
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cell — in biology
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. scale — in music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mate — to breed
  20. vault — a safe
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cell — a phone
  24. chip — to eat

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