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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 116 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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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: pitcher · deal · pitch · trunk · tear · snap · scale · clip

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. clip — a video
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. clip — for paper
  11. tear — to rip
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. snap — to click
  16. clip — to cut
  17. tear — from crying
  18. deal — to handle
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. tear — from crying
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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