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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: firm · clip · pitch · suit · march · cell · object · court

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. firm — decided
  3. march — music
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. object — an aim
  7. court — of a king
  8. clip — a video
  9. suit — to fit
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — steady
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. march — the month
  14. court — for sport
  15. clip — for paper
  16. suit — clothes
  17. suit — in cards
  18. cell — a phone
  19. object — a thing
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. court — of law
  23. cell — in biology
  24. object — to protest

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