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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: dip · clip · stem · coach · pitch · sharp · squash · cap

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cap — a lid
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pitch — completely
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. stem — to come from
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cap — a hat
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. sharp — clever
  22. clip — a video
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. cap — of ice

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