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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 · kick · arm · spell · season · pitch · scale · cold

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. spell — a short time
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cold — an illness
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. cold — not warm
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. chip — to eat
  18. scale — in music
  19. pitch — completely
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chip — for betting
  24. kick — a thrill

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