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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. clip — to cut
  4. board — to get on
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wake — a trail
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. clip — a video
  14. kid — child
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. clip — for paper
  17. board — a committee
  18. tube — a container
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mark — a trace
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bowl — a dish

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