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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: chip · court · pitch · date · pass · file · track · perch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pass — a permit
  6. file — a document
  7. date — the fruit
  8. chip — to eat
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. court — of law
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. track — a song
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. perch — the fish
  20. track — a path
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. file — a tool
  24. date — on the calendar

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