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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: squash · stand · clip · club · chip · rule · wound · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chip — for betting
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rule — government
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rule — a law
  14. wound — an injury
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. chip — to eat
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. clip — to cut
  21. club — a group
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. squash — the sport
  24. club — for golf

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