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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. dip — to sink
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lean — to bend
  6. clip — to cut
  7. land — ground
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. land — to come down
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pitch — completely
  16. clip — a video
  17. fall — the season
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. lean — thin
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. land — a country

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