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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 116 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: pitch · club · bat · nail · wind · chip · leaves · lie

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. club — for golf
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pitch — completely
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. club — for dancing
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. club — a group
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. chip — for betting
  24. lie — an untruth

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