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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: tear · ground · rock · court · chip · bank · kid · pitch

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rock — music
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. court — of a king
  8. chip — for betting
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bank — for money
  11. ground — crushed
  12. court — of law
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pitch — completely
  15. tear — from crying
  16. court — for sport
  17. bank — of a river
  18. ground — a position
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ground — the earth
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. bank — for money

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