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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: pitch · clip · fork · racket · season · lie · stem · fine

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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. season — to add flavour
  4. clip — a video
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stem — to come from
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. clip — for paper
  14. season — of the year
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lie — to recline
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fine — all right
  21. season — in sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. racket — for tennis

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