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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: calf · pit · safe · charge · rule · clip · band · pitch

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. clip — for paper
  3. band — a music group
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. rule — a law
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pit — in a race
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. band — a ring
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. clip — to cut
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. charge — a price
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. clip — a video
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. charge — electricity
  23. rule — government
  24. charge — in control

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