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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: mark · race · clip · rule · mouse · pitch · season · tube

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mark — a trace
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. season — in sport
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rule — government
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. race — humankind
  12. rule — a law
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. tube — a container
  15. pitch — completely
  16. clip — a video
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. race — the arms race
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. race — a contest
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. tube — the underground
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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