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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 120 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: fork · squash · cap · chip · clip · rash · leaves · pitch

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cap — a hat
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cap — a lid
  10. squash — the sport
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. fork — in a road
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. pitch — completely
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. chip — to eat
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rash — a series
  23. clip — for paper
  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