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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: lie · sharp · drill · can · season · chip · pitch · bat

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. season — of the year
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. can — to be able to
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chip — for betting
  8. can — a tin
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bat — the animal
  11. season — in sport
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. drill — a practice
  15. can — a tin
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lie — to recline
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chip — in a computer
  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