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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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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: fan · toast · race · trunk · pitch · chip · cell · key

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. chip — for betting
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cell — in biology
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. key — the most important part
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pitch — completely
  14. key — in music
  15. toast — bread
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. race — the arms race
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. chip — to eat
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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