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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: trunk · cabinet · suit · court · pitch · foot · pit · clip

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. clip — to cut
  3. court — for sport
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. suit — in cards
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pit — a hole
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. clip — a video
  18. suit — to fit
  19. clip — for paper
  20. foot — a measure
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitch — completely
  24. foot — part of the body

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