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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. band — a music group
  3. clip — a video
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rule — a law
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rule — government
  9. bulb — for light
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mate — a friend
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — bread
  20. band — a ring
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rule — to rule out

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