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

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. game — wild animals
  6. can — to be able to
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. can — a tin
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pop — music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. clip — a video
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pop — soda
  18. pitch — completely
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. can — a tin
  21. clip — to cut
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chair — a leader

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