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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: bark · foot · clip · pit · cold · pitch · safe · cue

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. clip — a video
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pitch — completely
  8. foot — a measure
  9. pit — a hole
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. cue — a signal
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pit — in a race
  24. clip — to cut

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