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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: kick · clip · scale · race · pitch · squash · bore · rash

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. kick — in football
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rash — a series
  5. bore — to tire
  6. scale — in music
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. clip — to cut
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bore — to drill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pitch — completely
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. squash — to crush
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. race — a contest
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. rash — hasty

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