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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: pitch · bat · ground · clip · bass · wake · pass · coach

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pitch — completely
  3. clip — a video
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. ground — the earth
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pass — a permit
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wake — a trail

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