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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · pitch · firm · stem · file · race

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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. race — the arms race
  4. firm — decided
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. race — a contest
  7. file — a tool
  8. firm — steady
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. clip — for paper
  13. firm — a company
  14. file — a document
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. clip — a video
  18. race — humankind

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