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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 · dip · sharp · temple · pitch · chair · foot · club

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pitch — completely
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. club — a group
  5. sharp — clever
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. club — for golf
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. clip — a video
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. clip — for paper
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. dip — to sink
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. foot — a measure

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