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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. object — to protest
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pound — a weight
  5. mate — a friend
  6. object — an aim
  7. pitch — completely
  8. can — a tin
  9. clip — a video
  10. mate — a partner
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. can — to be able to
  17. chair — a leader
  18. clip — for paper
  19. object — a thing
  20. mate — to breed
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. can — a tin
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. chair — to sit on

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