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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: ball · racket · wake · game · pitch · sharp · chip · lean

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. chip — to eat
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. game — a match
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. chip — for betting
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wake — a trail
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pitch — completely
  24. racket — for tennis

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