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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bass — the fish
  5. season — of the year
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bass — low music
  11. season — in sport
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pitch — completely
  23. clip — to cut
  24. cabinet — ministers

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