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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: prune · leaves · ball · chip · arm · toast · clip · pitch

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. clip — for paper
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. clip — a video
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. ball — a dance
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pitch — completely
  13. clip — to cut
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ball — a great time
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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