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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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Word bank
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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: pitch · tear · dip · clip · cell · firm · game · suit

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. firm — steady
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — to fit
  5. pitch — completely
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. firm — decided
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. firm — a company
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. clip — for paper
  18. game — wild animals
  19. tear — from crying
  20. game — a match
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  24. tear — to rip

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