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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: face · chip · pitch · coach · cold · bound · snap · last

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. last — final
  7. face — part of the head
  8. last — to go on
  9. face — to confront
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. last — finally
  16. snap — to click
  17. bound — certain
  18. chip — for betting
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cold — an illness
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cold — not warm

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