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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 116 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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. tube — the underground
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. object — a thing
  10. tube — a container
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. object — an aim
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. object — to protest
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cold — not warm
  24. clip — for paper

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