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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 120 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: bound · chip · leaves · mug · pitch · race · land · club

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. bound — certain
  5. race — humankind
  6. club — for golf
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mug — to rob
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bound — tied together
  12. club — for dancing
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mug — a face
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bound — obliged
  19. land — to come down
  20. club — a group
  21. race — a contest
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mug — a cup

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