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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: chip · chair · stick · ground · mate · pound · root · pitch

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pitch — completely
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ground — a position
  9. mate — to breed
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. mate — a friend
  12. root — the cause
  13. chair — a leader
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. root — of a word
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. root — of a plant

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