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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. clip — a video
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. season — of the year
  7. pitch — completely
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. fine — high quality
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fine — all right
  20. clip — to cut
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pitch — a sports field

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