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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. board — a committee
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. bass — the fish
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chip — to eat
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. board — to get on
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bass — low music
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chip — for betting
  20. shower — rain
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. prune — to trim
  23. clip — to cut
  24. hide — animal skin

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