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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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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: pound · cap · bay · rest · stem · kid · pitch · chip

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stem — to come from
  5. kid — child
  6. rest — a break
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. kid — to tease
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. rest — what's left
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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