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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. pop — soda
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. spell — magic
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bark — to shout
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pop — music

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