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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · band · bowl · file · shower · key · chip · game

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pitch — completely
  4. game — wild animals
  5. band — a music group
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. key — in music
  8. file — a line of people
  9. shower — rain
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. band — a ring
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. chip — to eat
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. shower — to wash
  20. game — a match
  21. chip — for betting
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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