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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · cabinet · pitch · clip · fork · mine · wake · last

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. clip — a video
  3. mine — for digging
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. ball — a great time
  7. clip — to cut
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. last — finally
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. last — to go on
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ball — a dance
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. last — final
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitch — completely
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. fork — a garden tool

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