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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. clip — a video
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cap — a hat
  5. spell — letters
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cap — of ice
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. pitch — completely
  16. clip — to cut
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. spell — magic
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cap — a lid
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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