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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. clip — for paper
  3. sharp — clever
  4. clip — a video
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pop — music
  11. cap — of ice
  12. clip — to cut
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pop — to visit
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cap — a hat
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. leaves — of a tree

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