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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rule — government
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pit — in a race
  11. rule — a law
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. can — a tin
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. season — in sport
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pit — a hole
  23. season — of the year
  24. coach — a trainer

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