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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: chip · patient · shower · pitch · ground · perch · coach · sharp

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pitch — completely
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chip — for betting
  10. ground — a position
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. shower — to wash
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. shower — rain
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chip — to eat
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. sharp — clever
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ground — crushed

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