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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: clip · board · pitch · stand · branch · bass · content · deal

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. clip — for paper
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pitch — completely
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. content — the amount
  13. board — to get on
  14. clip — to cut
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. stand — to bear
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. branch — a division
  21. content — happy
  22. board — a committee
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. clip — a video

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