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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 · field · calf · mine · staff · race · pitch · chair

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. staff — employees
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chip — for betting
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitch — completely
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. race — humankind
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. field — for sport
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. field — a subject
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. field — farmland
  21. race — the arms race
  22. chip — to eat
  23. race — a contest
  24. mine — for digging

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