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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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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: hand · season · pitch · march · track · bear · chip · spring

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. chip — to eat
  3. track — a song
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bear — the animal
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. season — in sport
  12. track — to keep track
  13. spring — a coil
  14. march — music
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pitch — completely
  17. march — the month
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. hand — help
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. march — the month
  22. track — a path
  23. hand — in cards
  24. season — of the year

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