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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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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: pound · field · present · pass · ball · temple · pitch · clip

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. present — the time now
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. field — a subject
  12. pass — a permit
  13. field — for sport
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — there
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. clip — a video
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. field — farmland
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pound — a weight

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