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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 120 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: deal · mate · rest · chip · shower · pitch · season · pound

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pound — a weight
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rest — what's left
  5. shower — to wash
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. season — in sport
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pitch — completely
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. deal — to handle
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rest — a break
  18. shower — rain
  19. season — of the year
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mate — a partner
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mate — to breed

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