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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: charge · net · scale · pitch · clip · chip · row · rock

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. chip — for betting
  3. clip — a video
  4. rock — music
  5. charge — a price
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pitch — completely
  9. chip — to eat
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. charge — in control
  14. net — for catching
  15. scale — size or range
  16. charge — electricity
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. net — in sport
  19. scale — in music
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. clip — for paper
  22. net — after costs
  23. row — a line
  24. chip — in a computer

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