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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: clip · chair · pitch · band · face · scale · ball · pit

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. ball — a great time
  3. scale — size or range
  4. face — to confront
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pitch — completely
  8. band — a music group
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. scale — in music
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pit — in a race
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. ball — a dance
  24. face — part of the head

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