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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: bowl · safe · dip · clip · club · ball · pitch · root

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. club — for golf
  3. root — of a word
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. ball — a dance
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. root — the cause
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. club — for dancing
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. club — a group
  20. dip — to sink
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. root — of a plant
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. ball — a round shape

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